360 



AN ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 



Fig. 418. 



species first made its appearance in the Eastern United States, 

 horrible tales were told of the destruction caused among herds 

 of cattle. As a matter of fact, except for the irritation, it causes 

 no injury. Much can be done to prevent the increase of this 

 insect by destroying the breeding-places. In the stable, the stalls 

 and their surroundings should be kept absolutely clean, and 

 whitewash should be liberally applied. The manure should be 

 mixed at once with either kainit or land plaster, which absorbs 



the moisture and makes the mass 

 unfit for the larva, while at the same 

 time it does not injure its value as a 

 fertilizer. A boy should be sent 

 through the pasture e\'ery two or 

 three days with a shovel, and di- 

 rected to spread out every dropping 

 in such a way as to cause it to dry 

 up or wash away readily before the 

 larvae can complete their develop- 

 ment. The flies can be kept from 

 the animals by the use of fish oil 

 and crude carbolic acid, applied to 

 those parts not readily reached by 

 the tail. The proportions of fish 

 oil and carbolic acid are not im- 

 portant ; enough of the crude acid 

 to give a decided odor is all that is necessary, and one application 

 will usually suffice to protect an animal for five or six days. 



Another series of decidedly troublesome flies we find in the 

 Anthomyiids, whose larvae are frequently root-infesting maggots. 

 The adults closely resemble the common house-flies, but are usu- 

 ally somewhat smaller in size and slighter in build. They arc 

 found in fields on the ground, on vegetation of all kinds, and 

 also commonly enough in our houses on the windows, where they 

 are usually mistaken for the true house-fly. Recognition of the 

 species of these flies is a matter of no great importance practi- 

 cally ; but it may be assumed, where flies resembling the ordinary 

 household pest in all save size are noticed in any number about 

 crops subject to infestation by root-maggots, that we have mem- 

 bers of this Anthomyiid series to deal with. They are often very 



Larva of horn-fly, i ; its pupa, 2 

 structural details, 3,4)5; enlarged 



