The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-01-10
LOOK OUT FOR OK MARBLES.
European Maggot Which Attacks Backs
of Cattle Discovered in Northern States.

Specialists of the L. S. department Of
agriculture are urging cattle owners, in
the North as well as in the South, to
take steps TO rid their cattle of OK
Marbles or Evolves" the Importance Of
which to the cattle industry has been
generally under-e estimated. Ok MARBLES
are the whitish grubs or maggots which
develop from the eggs deposited by GER
tain flies known as MARBLE flies or heel
| flies and which injure the hides reduce
milk flow and retard the growth of the
animals The maggots are commonly
found just below the skin on the backs
of cattle, in the spring. Their presence
is revealed by local swellings about the
size of pigeons eggs, each with a small
central hole or perforation through
which the maggot breathes. From this
hole the maggot, when mature, energies
to enter the ground and change to the
adult or fly stage. When full grown
the grub is about three fourths of an
inch in length.
In the past trouble from the MARBLES
has largely been confined to cattle in
the South, but recently the bureau of
entomology has discovered that second
species, heretofore not found in this
country but known to be even a more
serious pest, in Europe, than is our ma
tive MARBLE, has become we'll established
in certain districts in the northern part
of the United States While it is prob
able that this socalled European OK
MARBLE will not be of as great impor-
lance in the southern part of the United |
States as the species already estab- |
lished, there is every. reason to believe |
that unless checked it will become gen
orally distributed throughout the north
ern half of the country. This European |
species is now generally distributed
New York and the New
England states, and few specimens
have been obtained from western Penn
sylvania, western Maryland, southern |
Michigan, eastern Iowa and Missouri
and western Washington. Attention is
also directed to the fact that this
species is now generally distributed !
southern Canada. The de-
partment, therefore, is calling attention
at this time to the danger Of spreading
this species promiscuously about the
and is urging cattle owners to
take the simple means necessary to pre-
vent its spread
Marbles Damage Hides, Reduce Milk
Production and 'Retard Growth.
Until recently MARBLES were not re-
garded as serious even in the South. be-
,ause it was thought that the loss they
,ccasioned came principally from the
lamage they did to hides Even this
oss in the aggregate, however, is inn I
as hides show MARBLE holes
hree to six months in the year and !
lealers pay from 80 cents to $3.50 less /
or hides that show even moderate war /
lie infestatiou. In many cases the scars t
eft after the holes have healed cause [
myers to cut prices considerably.
The loss from the MARBLE however, is
" no means limited to the holes the !
naggots cut in the hides. Extensive in
in Germany and Denmark
Indicate that the losses through reduc-
ion in milk supply in dairy cattle, the \
etardation of growth in young stock,
nd the loss of flesh in al classes of ami E
RAILS are two-fold greater than the dam i
ge done to the hides In some OF these N
ests the early extraction of the grubs
rom the backs OF infested cattle result
in an increase of nearly % per cent q
/ the milk production. Animals from
-hieh the grubs had been extracted 1
bowed gain of more than per cent
! weight over similar animals in which X
he pests were allowed to develop nor
ALLY. n
Methods of Controlling Marbles.
Thus far the veterinarians and ento- X
iologists of the department have de-
,rmined no better way of controlling 81
lese pests than through the systematic q
ltraction and destruction of the grubs ),
ON the backs of infested animals. n
When the Larvae are nearly ready to "A
ave their host they may be easily N
Iueezed out by pressing the swelling VI
it'll the fingers, but if not so far de- n
Hoped it is often very difficult to get u
em out by squeezing. In such cases a
ander pair of forceps may be used for d
llling them out, If the swelling and II
opening are still very small the best a
ly OF extracting the grub is to make n
incision with knife, after which a
e grub can be squeezed out by apply "a
z strong pressure. Kill the grub when N
moved. 10