M1SCELLA.NE0US PAPERS. 295 



bad enough. The insect was reported to me by letter from six or seven 

 different sections of the State, and has undoubtedly appeared, in greater 

 or less numbers, over the entire area. In our suburb of Kirkwood 

 and oh the neighboring dairy farms its attacks upon the delicate and 

 thin-skinned Jerseys were very disastrous, certain cows showing much 

 greater sensitiveness to its bites than others. The cause of the trouble 

 was not immediately recognized, but as soon as the fly was identified, 

 the remedies suggested by the department were applied and brought 

 measurable relief. Our town veterinarian recommended for the cases 

 to which he was called an application of liquid tar, to be procured in 

 pint cans from druggists This was thickly spread over the shoulders, 

 neck and udder, and, though very disfiguring, was, all things consid- 

 ered, the best repellant used, as its effect extended over a period of a 

 week or ten days, much longer than that of kerosene emulsion or car- 

 bolized vaseline. It is, however, more expensive, both in money and 

 labor, and, therefore, not so well adapted to use on large herds of cattle 

 as the kerosene emulsion. • 



The habit of the horn fly of resting on the cattle by night as well 

 as by day gives the latter no respite, since, even when not biting, its 

 presence seems to be irritating. From my observations this year, how- 

 ever, I draw the hopeful conclusion that in our climate and that of 

 Kansas and Southern Illinois it will not be able to multiply as it does 

 in localities not subject to annual and protracted drouths. After dry 

 weather sets in the droppings were so quickly hardened that the larvse 

 were unable to develop, and by the first of August but few flies were 

 noticed upon cattle in this locality. We also found that chickens in 

 the stable-yard and pasture. rendered good service by scratching into 

 and spreading the droppings and picking out whatever larv;e were con- 

 tained therein. I have not been able to learn that much was done in 

 the State in the way of spreading or liming the manure, but this will 

 doubtless in time become one of the regular duties of our herdsmen ; 

 while the use of the repellant sprays and other applications, when 

 necessary, will serve to protect the animals, not only from the particu- 

 lar insect under consideration, but from the attacks of bot-flies, Tabanids, 

 Stomoxys, and other biting flies from which they ordinarily suffer 

 exceedingly. 



The Fruit Bark-beetle. — Previous to the current year there is bat 

 one brief reference to the presence of the above-named insect, (the 

 Scolytus rugulosus of Ratzeburg) in Missouri. This is found on the last 

 page of the third volume of the ''American Eotomologist," published in 

 1880, where Prof. Riley mentions, after determining the insect for vari- 

 ous localities in the Eastern states, that he " had received the insect 



