1899] REMEDIES FOR CHEESE FLY. 15 



follows : " Vermis deniq; alius caseorum, saliens instar arcus in 

 pinguibus caseis, qui nullo frigore interimitur." — (0. M.)* 



No name is given to the infestation, and it can by no means be said 

 that this ponderous and ancient volume is a safe guide in scientific or 

 many other respects ; but, taking the characteristic points of this 

 maggot leaping in an arched form in Cheese, and also in " fat Cheese," 

 it seems in all reasonable probability to be our widespread pest of the 

 present day — Piophila casei, Linn. 



On applying for information regarding Cheese Fly attacks to Mr. 

 Richard P. Ward, Organising Secretary of the Cheshire County 

 Council, he was good enough to procure the following observations for 

 me from Miss Foster, Chief Instructress at the Dairy Institute at 

 Worleston, where, in 1898, almost sixteen tons of Cheese were made 

 by the students under her direction. Miss Foster kindly reported as 

 follows ; — 



" The best remedies I know are thoroughly lime-washing the walls 

 every year, painting all the woodwork, and cleaning the floors 

 thoroughly with soft-soap ; this prevents the eggs hatching out. 



" At the very commencement of the fly season fly-papers and other 

 fly-killers should be used, so as to destroy as many as possible. All 

 damp straw should be moved, as moisture is necessary to the fly when 

 depositing its eggs. All cracks in the Cheese should be filled at once 

 with a mixture of flour, butter, and pepper. Of course the Cheese 

 should be turned daily, and a careful watch kept for cracks and fly- 

 deposits. If the flies have obtained an entrance into the Cheese, the 

 best thing is to cut out the affected part, dust thoroughly with black 

 pepper, refill with Cheese, and cover carefully with calico. 



" The Cheese should be moved each week, and the floor and 

 benches thoroughly scrubbed. 



" Some people use lime to fill the cracks, but it destroys the colour 

 of the Cheese. Old-fashioned people think that branches of alder and 

 ivy hung in the room will drive away the flies, but I have proved this 

 to be a fallacy. The great thing is to destroy the flies." 



On July 12th Mr. Robert Challinor, Secretary of the Cheshire 

 Dairy Farmers' Association, writing from 22, Old Bank Buildings, 

 Chester, was good enough to give me the following remarks : — 



" I am glad to say that there is very little complaint amongst our 



* See ' Historia Olai Magni Gothi Archiepiscopi Upsalensis, de Gentium Sep- 

 trionalium variis conditionibus statisubue,' &c. BasilesB ex officinaHenric Petrina. 

 M.D.LXVII. The Archbishop's special preface is dated a few years earlier from 

 Eome : "Eom® 4 Nonas Januarias Anno salutaris partus M.D.L.V." The 

 above extract is taken from the division on insects, Liber xxii. cap. viii. ; and, as I 

 am fortunate in possessing a copy of this rare old book, I have quoted the refer- 

 ences at length, as sometimes they are variously given, presumably from their 

 being taken from the various editions. — (E. A. 0.) 



