Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-06-23
Kill the Horrid Horn Fly.

One man 5 remedy:
1.-The cow horn fly (Hematobia serrata
Rob. Desv has received its popular
name from the habit the flies have of
clustering at base of horns and this
affords the readiest means of recogni-
ton. The insect breeds in the fresh
droppings of the animal, and their dry
ing up is fatal TO the larvae. Therefore,
if they be broken up and spread over
the field every few days-a practice of
benefit to the land-the flies could not
breed so readily, as the sun would
quickly dry the manure and render it
unsuitable for growth of larvae. The
manure in the stable might also be
treated with land plaster, whereby the
fly would be prevented from breeding
The animals can be protected from di-
rect attack by number of ointments
and powders fatal or distasteful to the
insect. These applications have to be
renewed every few days, as they lose
their efficacy by exposure. Perhaps the
best remedy is spraying the animals
every two or three days with the stand
ard kerosene emulsion diluted with 10
to ! 3 parts of water, or, better still, the
diluent may be a tobacco decoction,
made by boiling one pound of tobacco
in each gallon of water. 1t can be quick
ly and thoroughly applied with a KNAPP
sack sprayer and cyclone nozzle. Two
men can treat the animals at the rate
of one per minute. 1t is said TO leave no
Objectionable odor The work may we'll
be done just after milking in the morn
ing.
"Other remedies are mixture Of one
third coal tar, two-thirds lard or other
grease, smeared on the horns and other
favorite places for the fly. Pine tar and
grease may be used, with equal success,
or try fish oil and pine tar with "a little
sulphur or carbolic acid, or tallow with
"a small quantity of carbolic acid. If
the skin is not broken, tobacco dust or
y. .. dust may be used on the back
and at the base of the horns One of the
ointments would be better for the under
parts of the animal, simply because it
would stay on longer The tobacco dust
is speedily fatal to the flies"
Another:
The experience which we have had
in keeping off the flies and increasing
our flow of milk would seem almost in
credible had we not had the actual ex-
perience and the figures to prove the
same Our cows have all along been fed
good ration, but the flies have been
so fierce that / could hardly stand the
milking Having used wash of grease
other seasons / made up my mind to
try again, so / made up kettleful of
wash composed of the following ingre-
dients Fat, meat fryings, which were
"a superfluous article in the culinary de-
partment, stepped III some tansy, to
which / added three ounces of carbolic
acid. / heated the same to a lukewarm
state and applied it with an old white
wash brush at the horns. over the neck
and back and well down the sides. And
now for the result At night the men
wanted to know if the COWS had had
extra feeding, which certainly was not
the case. Then the extra flow of milk
must have been induced by the applica-
ton of the grease, which was very in
| expensive preparation. AS the milk was
carried to the creamery every morning
and there weighed we were in posi-
ton to have the positive facts. The first
day increase was 2 pounds, the second
days IL pounds in addition to this,
making in all 33 pounds, or 1913 quarts
of extra milk for the second day. Now,
if no benefit had been derived save the
advantages gained in milking and that
of keeping the animals contented and
quiet we should have felt amply paid F"
Creameries the country over ought
TO have better buildings and better cold
storage facilities. With the new and
perfected refrigerating machinery now
on the market there is no excuse for
anything but perfect cold storage.
When my friends are blind OF one
Al T..