300 DR. LEGEAR'S STOCK BOOK. 



By reading the article in this book on Texas Fever, it will be 

 seen that the tick is without a doubt the sole transmitter of the 

 disease, and a large dipping vat is now being constructed at Fort 

 Worth, Texas, where cattle will be dipped under State and Fed- 

 eral inspection, and if pronounced free from ticks they will be 

 admitted into the State of Kansas for feeding purposes, thus 

 opening a market from Texas to summer feeders in the North. 

 This is a long stride in the direction of breaking down quaran- 

 tine barriers, and will be watched with interest. 



HORN FLY. 



This is a little black fly which infests certain districts of the 

 United States and causes great annoyance to cattle. They have 

 received the popular name of "horn fly' 7 from the fact that they 

 collect upon the horns of cattle while they (the flies) are at rest. 

 This fly first made its appearance in any great numbers in the 

 United States about ten years ago, and at that time some very 

 wild stories were told about it. It was claimed that the fly ate 

 through the horn, caused it to rot, and laid eggs inside, which, 

 after hatching, penetrated the brain. This, however, is not the 

 ease; but they do cause great annoyance to cattle by biting them. 

 They prevent thrift in beef cattle and milk production in dairy 

 cows. When they are present in large numbers they collect upon 

 the base of the horns, along the top of the neck, or under the 

 belly. They attack cattle in the field by piercing the skin and 

 sucking the blood. Certain cattle will be covered with the flies 

 and mind them very little, while others lose flesh very rapidly. 

 lint as a general thing they are not very injurious to stock and 

 will never cause death to the animal. They will not make sores 

 on cattle, but sores will form by the cattle rubbing themselves 

 ;iirainst trees, fences, etc., to get rid of the flies. 



