WORK OF THE ALDERSEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL. IvH 



saying that in this parish alone what has been done at your siujijestion has 

 put many pounds into our farmers' j^ockets, for their stocks are giviny more 

 milk, and are feeding better. The hides also are worth more money.'" — 

 W. B. 



I have given the above at length as the work being done under the 

 eyes of Mr. Bailey, and likewise of Mr. D. Byrd, of Bunbury Heath, 

 and many of the other farmers of the neighbourhood : it is no mere 

 fancy or half-proved experiment, but what could be judged of by all 

 connected with the stock in the district, and it shows not only the 

 benefit of getting rid of warble-grubs, and the thoroughness with 

 which they can be cleared out of a district, but the benefit of plain 

 common-sense instruction on the subject of farm-insect pests. 



The work was carried on with the full approbation of the Haber- 

 dashers' Company, to which the Aldersey Grammar Schools belong ; 

 also it was considered so satisfactory that an account of it, written by 

 Mr. Bailey to His Grace the Duke of Westminster, was read by the 

 Hon. Cecil Parker before one of the Committees of the Eoyal Agri- 

 cultural Society of England in 1887, and recommended for publication ; 

 and the work since has been equally satisfactory. 



The treatment, so far as I am aware, was wholly either squeezing 

 out the maggots, or killing them by cart-grease, or application of the 

 ointments prepared by Messrs. McDougall Brothers, the Dee Oil 

 Company, Chester, and Jeyes' Sanitary Compounds Company 

 (Limited), the effect in the case of all the dressings being very satis- 

 factory. 



Last year (1893) the result of the spring search produced scarcely 

 any maggots, and in this year Mr. Bailey, writing to me on the 6th of 

 November (that is, the 6th inst.), reported, in reply to my enquiries, 

 as follows : — 



" The specimens brought to me this season, notwithstanding a 

 most diligent search, have been so few that I think we may now claim 

 that, in this parish, the pest is practically stamped out. The total 

 number of warble-maggots found by the boys did not exceed a score, 

 although special marks were given for every maggot brought, and the 

 contest between some of the boys for the prizes which you so kindly 

 give was very keen. 



"If you will refer to my report to you in 1889 — only five years ago 

 — you will notice that 577 head of cattle were then examined by the 

 boys, and that no fewer than 1077 maggots had been squeezed out and 

 destroyed by them, or killed by the application of smears." ..." The 

 farmers in this district are fully alive to the importance of this duty. 

 Stocks are regularly and carefully overlooked, and cattle bought at 

 fairs or elsewhere are specially examined." — W. B. 



