General Notes. 191 



the boiling- has ceased the remainder of the water is added. It is 

 considered doubtful whether the salt is of any use in the mixture, but 

 it can, at least, do no harm in such small quantity. Though effective 

 enough against the red spider in the active stages of its growth, this 

 mixture is stated to be of little value as a general insecticide, at least, 

 at the strength advised. Three applications, at intervals of a week, 

 are necessary to effect a complete clearance of the pest. 



It is stated by the author of the Bulletin that " Fumigation, ivith 

 hyd'KOcyaiiic acid gas is of 11.0 value whatever as a means of controlling 

 the red spider." 



Oil of Turpentine for the Bot Fly. 



Considerable prominence has been given in the press to a statement 

 made by Mr. Schulz, at Murtoa, that he had administered a drench, 

 recommended by the Chief Inspector of Stock, to two horses attacked 

 by the bot tly, and that the death of the animals, which took place 

 shortly after, was due to the injurious influence of the oil of turpen- 

 tine. The drench recommended in the Journal of Agriculture, July, 

 1902, was as follows : — 



Raw Linseed Oil .. .. .. 1 pint. 



Oil of Turpentine .. .. ,.2 ozs. 



This quantity was stated to be suliicient for an ordinary hack. 



In a memorandum addressed to the Director of Agriculture, the 

 Chief Inspector of Stock states "that Mr. Schulz must have made 

 some mistake, as the drench would produce no such result if properly 

 administered, and has been given thousands of times to horses 

 without injury. Mr Schulz is said to ascribe the cause of death to 

 giving the horses 2 ounces each of oil of turpentine. Authorities of 

 such repute as Youatt (revised by Spooner), Tuson {Veterinary 

 Pharviaco'po'i(i) , Finley Dunn [Veterinary Medicines, 1901 edition) 

 recommend the administration of up to 8 fluid ounces for worms. The 

 two ounces could not possibly have caused the deaths, that is, if the 

 uLediclne^ recommended had been, given. Boiled oil may have been 

 administered instead of raw linseed oil, or crude spirits of turpentine 

 instead of oil of tur[)entine." 



Since the above was written the following letter has been received 

 from Mr. August Uhe, Secretary of the Murtoa Farmers' Associa- 

 tion : — 



Murtoa, June 23rd, 1903, 



The Editor of the "Journal of Agriculture. 



Dear Sir, — I am directed by the above Association to state the experience of 

 one of its members, who tried, as an experiment, the prescription appearing in the 

 Journal of Agriculture, ]\i.\y, 1902, for destroying bots in horses, by Mr. J. R. Weir, 

 Chief Inspector of Stock. 



The directions were carefully carried out, with the exception that 1^ ozs. of 

 spirits of turpentine was used in place of 2 ozs. of oil of turpentine as in the prescrip- 

 tion. The experiment was tried on three horses, two young strong horses, draughts, 

 and one aged one, with the result that the two younger horses died five days after 

 treatment, and, on being opened, it was found that the coating was completely taken ofl ' 

 the stomach. The aged animal recovered. 



