The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1899-12-15
HORN FLY PEST.
Interesting Work at the Kansas
Experiment Station.


How to furnish better protection to
our dairy herds and cattle against the
attacks of the horn fly is question
of growing Importance. The serious
losses from the decrease of butter fat
and flesh through the attacks of this
pest certainly demand that some sort
Of relief be furnished to our stock.
During the past year the Kansas ex-
pertinent station has carried on Sc
ries of experiments with this object
in view. Among the many measures
employed, considerable time was spent
in trying to construct a trap which.
would catch and kill the flies and not
merely repel them, as is often the case
with so many of the horn fly mixtures.
The general plan of our trap was to
pass the cattle through a dark space
or room. At the center of the room, in
the roof, was a glass cupola. the sides
of which were composed of four win
dow sashes, with large pane of glass
for roof. All the joints were made
tight, so as to leave no openings
through which the flies could make
their escape. A few feet from the en-
trance and exit doors Of the room were
rooted screens, allowing the cattle to
pass in and out, but cutting off the
direct light from the outside, thus
making the space Immediately below
the cupola extremely light as compar-
ed with the rest Of the room. AS the
animal passes under the cupola it en-
tiers through the exit doorway, which
is lined with a series of brushes,
sweeping all parts Of the body. The
flies, being disturbed and brushed off,
would, it was hoped, be attracted by
the greatest light and would therefore
swarm up into the cupola.
TO catch the flies in the cupola small
tin troughs containing kerosene were
attached firmly to the base Of each
pane of glass. The troughs were one
inch deep, one inch wide and Of the
length of the distance from side rail
to side rail of the window sash. The
flies, in dancing up and down the win
dow panes. will at some time or other
strike the bottom rail Of the sash, but
when troughs are attached they WILL.
instead fall into them and be destroy
ed by the kerosene.
BY this style of horn fly trap we
were able to kill but about one fly out
of 20 upon the cattle. After passing,
Is COWS through several times in sue
cession only 800 flies were caught in
the troughs of kerosene. Quite often
the troughs would be nearly filled with
other species of flies where only one
horn fly would be captured.
This style Of trap, however plausible
it may seem, was certainly not suc>
cess. 1t was never possible to get alb
the flies to remain on the COWS till the
brushes were reached. Invariably aft
er the COWS had entered the room for
two or three feet the flies would sud-
denly rise up and pass out at the en-
trance doorway. They did not seem to-
! like to enter the dark room. By
equalizing the light little in the room
with that on the outside trife larger
percentage of flies was secured, but if
too much light were admitted from the
doorways the light in the cupola was,
! not sufficient to attract the flies; but,
instead, the flies. upon being brushedi
off, would follow after the cattle and
again renew their attacks. '~...