82 



The Gad Fly — Sheep-nose Worms. 



Vol. IX. 



For the Fanners' Cabinet. 

 The Gad Fly— Sheep-nose Worms. 



To THE Editor, — I take the liberty of 

 calling your attention, or some of your cor- 

 respondents, " to the cBSlrus bovis, a species 

 of gad fly, that is said to deposit its eggs in 

 the noses of sheep,^ which is hatched by the 

 warmth of the breath of the sheep, passes 

 np into the nostrils, and there remains until 

 it has acquired its growtli; it then leaves its 

 old habitation, and falling to the earth, buries 

 itself therein, until it becomes a fly." Hav- 

 ing lost a great many sheep at different 

 times by this insect, as I suppose, my atten- 

 tion was called more particularly to it in 

 1843, when I sustained a loss of about one- 

 tenth of my flock ; they began to die in 

 February, and continued to die throughout 

 the month of March. Of the last which 

 died, I had the head opened, and took out of 

 the upper regions of the nose about thirty 

 worms of various sizes, some of them encir- 

 cled by dark coloured, rough rings; from 

 which appearance I supposed that they had 

 arrived at. full age, and were ready to take 

 their departure; while others appeared young 

 and tender, and not more than a quarter of 

 an inch in length, and about two-thirds of 

 tlie same in thickness; there was also an in- 

 termediate size, from three-quarters to an 

 inch in length. I was for some time at a 

 loss to account for the great difference in 

 the appearance of these worms, but finally 

 concluded that it must be ascribed to their 

 being deposited at different times: i.e., that 

 the oldest worms are the deposits of 1840, 

 the next of 1841, and the youngest of 1842 

 so that the oldest required two and a half 

 years to attain their full age. I think that 

 I am supported in this opinion by the cir- 

 cumstance that I have never lost a yearling 

 or one under two years of age, and when I 

 have found worms in the heads of young 

 sheep, they seemed to be of a size and ap- 

 pearance corresponding to the age of the 

 sheep. 



I am inclined to the opinion that the fly 

 is not general through the country, but is 

 mostly to be found in certain districts, and 

 where there have been large importations of 

 foreign sheep. The small number of sheep 

 slaughtered in the country for the use of a 

 private family, will not furnish a sufficient 

 supply for the investigation of this subject: 

 but in a city like Philadelphia, a person can 

 at all times have recourse to the butcher's 

 stall, where he can examine the heads of 

 sheep of all ages, and test the correctness 

 of my hypothesis on this subject. 



I will notice a prevalent opinion, here, as 



well as elsewhere — that is, that when the 

 sheep crowd together in hot weather, keep 

 their noses down and stamp the ground, that 

 they are trying to avoid the gad fly; but I 

 am of a different opinion, I believe they are 

 endeavouring to defend themselves from the 

 attack of the stable fly, whose bite is very 

 severe, and which is a tormentor of our stock 

 of all kinds. I would rather suppose that 

 the a'strus bovis prefers the evening, when 

 the flock has retired to rest, or during the 

 niglit season, for depositing its eggs — to 

 tcuflliug in mid-day to accomplish its object. 

 In Rees' Encycloi)edia, under the article 

 upon sheep, you find the term sheep-nose 

 loorms, where the astrus bovis in the fly 

 state, is described as being of a very lazy 

 disposition, and not liking to make any use 

 either of its legs or wings: the duration of 

 its lile in the fly state is said to be about 

 two months. For a further account of the* 

 effect of worms in the heads of sheep, I 

 will refer you to an article published in the 

 12th vol. of the American Farm.er, page 39, 

 by R. K. Meade, of Frederick county, Vir- 

 ginia. An Octogenarian. 



September, 1841. 



The above is inserted without our knowing whence 

 it conie.s. Tt would have been a satisfaction to the 

 editor, as well as his readers, to be able to locate the 

 depredations referred to by our correspondent.— Ed. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Agricnlture and its Improvements. 



To THE Editor, — There is so much good 

 sense in the following extract of a letter 

 from Alexander Walsh, Esq., that I feel 

 ([uite inclined to forward it lor insertion in 

 the Cabinet. I find it in the British Ameri- 

 can Cultivator, published at Toronto, Cana- 

 da — it is there credited to the New York 

 Mechanic and Farmer, where I suppose it 

 originally appqared. The ideas thrown out 

 in relation to changing seed, are practically 

 efood; potatoes are particularly benefitted, 

 not only by a change of the tuber from 

 place to place, but also by propagation from 

 the seed. In relation to irrigation, men- 

 tioned in the letter below, I believe we pay 

 by far too little attention to it. The value 

 of agricultural papers is in bringing these 

 matters frequently to view, and stirring us 

 up to more care in our modes of manage- 

 ment. T. N. 



" Of all civil occupations, that of agricul- 

 ture should be regarded as foretnost : it is 

 the most indispensable, the best preserver of 

 health, of morality, of virtue, and of reli- 

 gion. It was the occupation of our first 

 parent, and has been that of a majority of 



