The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1905-10-12
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STOCK
Gruhx In Caffln

Last winter good many OF our
readers wrote TO us complaining that
tumor-like punches had appeared
upon the backs of their cattle and
they were at a loss to know what was
the cause, while Others on squeezing
the Jumps had found them to contain
large grubs. We explained that these
grubs came from the eggs of the OK
warble fly, which are deposited under
the skin during fly time in summer.
That time is at hand, and we are
writing this article to remind our
readers that MARBLES can be prevented
py attention to the cattle when flies
are most annoying. When the warble
fly comes along the cattle show every
sign OF terror and often stampede OF
run to water, where they stand all day
rather than Craze where flies can
get at them. 1t seems thct the ny
does not care to cross water and we
presume that this is true of some
other insect pests of cattle. Despite
the partial protection given by water
and in all places where ponds can not
be utilized by cattle MARBLES will be
found on the backs of cattle during
the early months of winter and the
lunches grow rapidly until in spring
tney are of full size and the grub OF
maggot escapes, burrows into the
ground, and after q time emerges as a
full fedged fly to carry on the pestifer-
GUS work of its kind, writes A. S.
Alexander in Farmers Review.
When It is seen that flies are most
troublesome to cattle on grass we
think it will surely pay to spray their
backs with any one of the commercial
hy repetlets. These applications af-
FORD but temporary relief, but may be
used two or three times a week, and
VIII then have an appreciable effect
In preventing warble fly attacks. To
the same end it is well to provide
shade for cattle away from barn yards
and feeding yards where manu,e is al
ways an attraction to flies. Left to
themselves it will be observed that
cattle get as far away from these
places as possible during fly time,
and seek the shade at distant part
OF the pasture where water is 10 be
had. A lesson should be learned from
this habit of cattle and the owner
will do well to provide a shady place
for his stock away from the farm
yard. In addition to using fiJ repell-
ers daily or several times a week, II
the bunch of cattle is large 1t has been
found a good plan to wash the backs
of the cattle a couple of times in late
fall, using a strong brine for the pur-
pose. This is supposed to kill the
young grubs before they have attained
great size and it seems to be quite ef
fective for this purpose. Some sci
ent!sts claim that the eggs of the
ox-warble fly are not deposited on or
under the skin of the backs of cat
tie, but are laid upon the skin of the
fore legs and breast, where they may
be easily licked off by the animal.
From this source the eggs are said to
they hatch ont and penetrate the
walls of the stomach or gulIet, gain
access to the blood and finally work
their way through the flesh and other
tissues until they arrive under the
skin. We do not take any stock in
this alleged iife-history of the ox-war-
BILE fly. We believe that the eggs are
deposited under the skin and there
hatch out into maggots which irri-
tate the surrounding tissues with the
prickles upon their bodies and so give
rise to an inflammatory liquid in
which they live and from which they
derive their nourishment. They cause
great suffering to their hosts when
numerous and so retard growth or
fattening, while it has been found by
investigation that hides are seriously
damaged for the purposes of the tan
ner and consumer of leather to the ex-
tent of many thousands of dollars an.
nually. 1t is well, then, to allay the
suffering of the animals as far as pos
sible, and at the same time to prevent
the loss of flesh or milk certain to
follow the irritation due to numbers
of large grubs under the skin of the
backs Of cattle. A solution Of any
one Of the commercial coal tar dips
will prove fairly effective in repelling
warble flies and will last longer If
mixed with oil, tar water or oil oi
tar in the form of an emulsion. Some
have had fairly good results from kero-
sene emulsion, but thus far no perfect
fly repeller has been hit upon that
does not contain tar products such
as earbolic acid, creosote. etc.