56 THE EEPOKT OF THE . No. 36 



nient Station I was actually confronted with data obtained by another department 

 showing that aj^plications of commercial and home-made insecticides did not give 

 any protection at all as measured by milk yields. I considered the data incon- 

 clusive, and I do believe that a careful experiment would show that flies do 

 diminish production. If so, data along this line wo-iild encourage farmers to give 

 their animals proper care. 



Mk. Baker: There is no doubt that it gives increased beef production. 



Pkof. Paekott: I am of the impression that it is possible to divide a dairy 

 herd so as to get conclusive data. Such an experiment would certainly be worth 

 while. 



Dr. Hewitt: The experiences in the Texas Fever Tick uphold that idea, if 

 only you can convince the farmers of the advanced milk production so that they 

 will undertake measures of control. 



Mr. Baker: The primary reason this work was undertaken here was because 

 of the fact that every summer we have numerous requests from farmers for a satis- 

 factory fly repellent, and they seem to he unanimous in the statement that the 

 milk production of the cattle is seriously injured. I can call to mind probably 

 half a dozen communications last year definitely stating that the cattle had gone 

 back on the milk flow where the flies were extremely bad. 



Prof. Pareott: If a dairy expert would co-operate with a entomologist on 

 the problem, one ought to get very valuable data, because fly attacks must cause 

 great discomfort to cattle, and thus reduce the yields of milk. 



Dr. Howard: I should like to ask Mr. Baker if oil of citronella can be 

 purchased in this country for ten cents an ounce now. We have been trying to 

 buy oil of citronella this past summer, and after the apothecaries had sold out their 

 previous stock it was impossible for them ts obtain any more. The situation was 

 worse than the price being prohibitive, for we could not get it at all. 



Mr. Baker : The prices I have quoted were those prevailing before the war. 

 Until the druggists ran out of oil of citronella, we could get it at a price consider- 

 ably increased, but since then we have tried and were not able to get it in the city 

 of Guelpli. 



Mr. Griddle: I have seen a good deal of the cattle business in Western 

 Canada. There is a very marked decrease in the milk production during the fly 

 season. For that simj^le reason very many cattlemen keep their cattle until after 

 the fly season is over so that they can fatten them up again. 



EVENING MEETING. 



On Thursday evening the auditorium of Massey Hall was filled with students 

 of the College and the Macdonald Institute, in addition to the members and 

 visitors from the town of Guelph, who came together to hear a lecture on " The 

 Eelation of Insects to Disease in Man and Animals," by Dr. L. 0. Howard, Chief 

 of the U. S. Bureau of Entomology at Washington. A large numbey of lantern 

 slides were exhibited, which added greatly to the interest, and rendered more in- 

 telligible to the student body the more technical positions of the address. 



In the absence of President Creelman, the Society was welcomed to the College 

 by Prof. Zavitz, and at the close of the meeting a vote of thanks, proposed by Dr. 

 Hewitt, and seconded by Prof. Lochhead, was tendered to Dr. Howard for 

 his instructive and highly interesting address. 



