VERMIN. 127 



the dirt will never be lousy." Mr. C. Bullare, of Farmingham, who keeps the best 

 of cattle, says that "dirt or any fine powder sifted into the hair, will destroy ver- 

 min." 



Instinct teaches partridges and other game to wallow in dusty places to keep oflf 

 vermin; and for the same purpose, every poultry yard should be provided with heaps 

 of fine dust and ashes. — S] 



RECIPE (No. 58). 



Alterative Tonic Powders.— Take flower of sulphur, four ounces ; black sulphuret 

 of antimony, one ounce; .(Ethiop's mineral, half an ounce; nitre, two ounces; pow- 

 dered gentian, two ounces; powdered ginger, one ounce. Mix, and divide into six 

 powders, and give one daily. 



Warbles may here be not improperly considered. The breeze or 

 gad-fly, or ox-fly, appears about the end of summer, and is a sad an- 

 noyance to the ox. At the very hum of the insect the cattle will 

 gallop distractedly over the field, and sometimes do themselves se- 

 rious injury. ^Yhen the fly has the opportunity of alighting on the 

 beast, he chooses the back or the loins, and piercing the skin, deposits 

 an egg under it. Some venom is also distilled into the wound, for a 

 tumour is shortly afterwards formed, varying from the size of an 

 hazel-nut to that of an egg. It is a kind of abscess, for it speedily 

 bursts, and leaves a little hole on the top of it for the grub, which is 

 now hatched, to breathe, and where he lives on the fatty matter that 

 he finds in this curious abode. 



These warbles are often a sad nuisance to the animal. He licks 

 them when he can get at them, and rubs himself violently on any- 

 thing within his reach. 



Country people sometimes get rid of them by compressing them 

 between the finger and thumb, and forcing the maggot out. Others, 

 with more certain effect, either pull off the scab around the mouth 

 of tlie tumour, or open it with a lancet or penknife, and then pour in 

 a few drops of spirit of turpentine, or introduce a heated needle. 



The farmer is scarcely aware how much injury tiiis fly does to the 

 hide; for, although the holes may apparently close up, that part will 

 always be weak. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



TO PRODUCE BULLIxNG IN THE COW', AND TREATJIENT OF BULL-BURNT. 



It sometimes happens that the cow will not stand to the bull at the 

 time that the farmer wished, so that either the calf is dropped a month 

 or two after the most convenient and profitable time, or the most 

 valuable season for making butter and cheese is lost. Some cows 

 are thus backward because"* they have been previously starved ; a 

 week or fortnight's better keeping will usually effect the desired 

 purpose. Indeed, if the animal has been well kept, and is in good 



