42 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



February 8, 1908. 



INSECT NOTES. 



should be made Ijy slaking (juick-liine in water to make 

 a thick wash. Crude carbolic acid at the rate of 1 pint for 

 each gallon of the wash should be added and thoroughly 

 stirred in. 



When used for the purpose of disinfecting a fowl-house 

 or other out-buildings, lime wash, crude petroleum, etc., may 

 be sprayed or api)lied with a brush, but care must be taken 

 that every crevice is penetrated and every portion of the 

 surface covered. 



Cattle and Fowl Ticks. 



A small collection of ticks was recently forv.arded 

 from the Imperial Department of A.tjricultnre to Dr. 

 George H. F. Nultall, of Cambridge University, 

 England, for identification. 



These have been studied by Dr. Nuttall, and he has 

 lately furnished the following information : — 



The common cattle tick of the Lesser Antilles is 

 determined as Bijapliihix nustraJh and is closely related to 

 the cattle tick of the Southern U.S. (rxxtphil w nrnuilaius) 

 the well-known agent of dissemination of Texas fever among 

 American cattle. The gold tick of Antigua, sometimes 

 called the St. Kitt's tick, is AinhJi/ominn varicijatum. This 

 is closely related to the ' Bont ' tick of South Africa. The 

 common fowl tick which is found in several of these islands 

 is Ari/as jieisicus, var. minidtus. This insect is distributed 

 throughout tropical and sub-tropical America. 



The remedies for cattle ticks have been given in previous 

 immhers oi thti Ai/n'cii/iniril Keirx, and in a recent number 

 {Vol. VI, p. 186), an account was given of successful treat- 

 ment of a cow badly infested with ticks. 



These consist of dipping, and spraying with any of the 

 recognized tick washes. 



The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State 

 officials in the tick infested States have devised a scheme of 

 rotation [lasture as a result of which entire farms and country 

 districts may be freed from this pest. 



Recently a correspondent of the Louisiana J'/autcr has 

 recommended molasses as a cure for ticks. 



The directions include the use of molasses as a feed and 

 a wash for the surface of the bodies of the affected animals. 

 Molasses is fed witli ecpial parts of water, and a mi.vture of one 

 part of molasses, and two [larts water is used as a wash. This 

 is said to give satisfactory results. 



The remedy may be worthy of trial in countries where 

 molasses is cheap. 



It may be of interest to note that the fowl tick is 

 capable of remaining alive for a long time without food, or 

 at least with no food available other than members 

 of its own species. Early in 1904, specimens of this 

 tick were received from a corresi)ondent in Barbados. 

 This gentleman was having a fowl house rebuilt, and 

 it was found that an enormous numlier of ticks had 

 collected in crevices in the boarding of the fowl house. 

 A small piece of board on which were perhaps a huiidreil 

 ticks, larvae and adults, was sent in to the Department of 

 Agriculture. This piece of board with the licks, was placed 

 in a glass jar, and the to|i covered over with a piece of cloth. 

 Two years later a few of the ticks were still alive. This will 

 .show that in cases where fowl hou.ses are infested with 

 these pests it is not enough simiily to remove the fowls 

 from the house for a tin\e. It will be necessary to 

 thoroughly disinfect the house in all its ])arts. This might 

 be done by thoroughly white-washing, or by the use of 

 kerosene or crude petroleum Whitewash for this purpose ' 



WATER AND SHADE FOR MILKING 

 CATTLE. 



Cows are frequently seen in the West Indies tied 

 witit a comparatively short rope to a post in the field, 

 away from shade and water. The yield of milk obtained 

 in such cases cannot possibly reach the return that 

 would be given under conditions more in accordance 

 v\ith the bodily comfort of the anitnal, and cow keepers 

 should realize that, apart from the question of discom- 

 fort to the cow, such treatment does niit pay. 



The accompanying notes in reference to this ques- 

 tion are taken from the (^iiHrterh/ JuanuU (October 

 1907) of the Bengal Department of Agriculture : — 



As every one\ knows, milk contains, or should contain 

 about 87 per cent, of water. lu addition to the water 

 necessary for the production of milk in the animal system, 

 there nuist be sufficient for the ordinary vital processes in 

 the bod}', therefore a su]iply of water should Ijc gi\en to an 

 animal producing milk in such (piautities as the animal itself 

 wishes to take as drink. An ideal water su[)ply is, of course, 

 a clear running stream, but in default of this, a good supply 

 of clear standing water that is not in the least stagnant, etc., 

 will suffice. 



Another important matter is that of .shade. Milking 

 cows must have shade, otherwise their yiehl of milk will 

 be greatly diminished by reason of the fact that they become 

 too hot in the full glare of the sun's direct light, uncomfort- 

 able and restle.ss, and do not graze. Remembering also the 

 worry caused by Hies, it is easy to understand that the beasts, 

 instead of feeding and forming milk, are wasting their time 

 in moving about, tossing their heads and flicking their tails, 

 etc. Not only is it e.ssential, from the point of view of 

 obtaining as large a milk supply as possilile per cow, to 

 provide shade, but this shade will also protect the beasts 

 more or less from the flics, so that the liides of the cattle 

 will lie nuich less lial)le to become damaged. There is 

 a certain fly [t lli/podcrimi haris] that attacks exposed cattle, 

 .settling on their backs along either side of the back-bime, and 

 there laying a number of eggs on the skin among the hair. 

 These eggs develop into ' maggots,' which bore through the 

 hide and live underneath ; but each maggot keeps an aperture 

 open, through which to breathe. Thus, if there are many 

 eggs laid, the hide on being taken off the animal is ob.served 

 to be perforated in numerous [ilaces, and more especially at 

 the part when' the best leather .should be obtained. Conse- 

 (piently the hide is reiluced in value by 70 t(> 90 per cent. 

 From what the writer has seen of Indian milk cattle, it is 

 ea.sy to understand that when the beasts are tied up with 

 a short roi>e the whole day or part of the day, on a bare 

 [latch of inferinr pasture, and away from water, the yield of 

 nulk, for all the above reasons, nuist be insignificant, and 

 many of the hides damaged, not to speak of the pain suffered 

 by the beasts from thirst an<l heat, ^[ilk cattle should also 

 have salt within reach. 



