Live Stock. 



118 



[August, 1909. 



these breeds have pioved very satis- 

 factory in the West Indies and fully kept 

 up their high reputation. No mention 

 is made of the Ayrshire, which is recog- 

 nized all over Great Britain as a most 

 economical and satisfactory cow for the 

 dairyman. The Holsteiu or Dutch breed 

 is another variety which in England as 

 well as in many continental countries 

 has earned a well-established reputation 

 for yielding a large and profitable return 

 of milk. The butter-fat content of this 

 milk, however, is usually slightly below 

 the average. Dutch cows have done 

 well in Trinidad, and one practical cattle 

 breeder recommended a cross between 

 this breed and the Zebu, the result of 

 which, in the opiniou of the gentleman 

 referred to, ' should make an invaluable 

 dairy cow, combining the temper and 

 milk-giving qualities of the Holsteiu 

 with the hardy and healthy constitution 

 of the Zebu.' The Red Polled and the 

 Shorthorn breeds have also given satis- 

 factory results as dairy cattle in 

 Trinidad. 



For draft purposes, it is evident that 

 the Zebu breed of cattle is pre-eminently 

 suitable. The further fact that they are 

 so useful for crossing with other breeds 

 renders this vatiety the most valuable 

 yet introduced into the culony. Apart 

 from the pure-bred Zebu, the animals 

 resulting of a cross between this breed 

 and the Hereford are also especially 

 useful as draft cattle. 



The Committee recommend that bulls 

 of the breeds referred to, together with 

 pure-bred cows, be imported, and that 

 an effort be made to establish and main- 

 tain three separate classes of cattle 

 especially suitable for beef, milk pro- 

 duction, and draft respectively. 



COMBATING MITES AND LICE ON 

 POULTRY. 



(From the Agricultural News, Vol. VIII., 

 No, 176, January 23, 1909.) 

 The accompanying notes, dealing with 

 lice and mites on poultry and in poultry- 

 houses, supplement * the information 

 given on this subject in a recent Lumber 

 of the Agricultural News (November 11 

 last, p, b()2). These notes, with others, 

 have lately been issued in leaflet form 

 by the United States Department of 

 Agriculture ; — 



There are several varieties of lice that 

 attack poultry. They subsist mainly on. 

 the feathers, and perhaps on the epider- 

 mal scales. They are fouud largely on 

 the head and neck, under the wings 



and about the vent, and when present 

 in large numbers they cause the fowls 

 much discomfort. Pyrethrum, or Per- 

 sian insect powder, powdered sulphur, 

 and some of the various preparations on 

 the market, such as the louse powders, 

 are good in combating these pests. The 

 hens can be dusted with one of these 

 powdei's after they have gone to roost. 

 Have the powder in a box with a per- 

 forated cover, grasp the fowl by the legs, 

 and shake the powder well among the 

 feathers. Dust at least three times, at 

 intervals of about a week, in order to 

 catch the lice which hatch out after the 

 first dusting. The mites subsist on the 

 blood of the fowls, and are not usually 

 found on the bodies of the bird, except 

 when at roost or on the nest. During 

 the day they inhabit cracks and crevices 

 of the walls, roosts, and nests. Sitting 

 hens are often so annoyed that they are 

 compelled to leave the nest in order to 

 relieve themselves of these parasites. 

 The free use of kerosene about the nests 

 and perches is useful in fighting the 

 mites. The walls of the house may be 

 spiayed with kerosene, the operation 

 being repeated every three or four days 

 for two weeks. Iuseeb powders are of 

 little avail. 



The following method has proved ex- 

 cellent in ridding houses of mites and lice 

 when the weather conditions are such 

 as to permit the birds being kept outside 

 the house for five or six hours : Close 

 all the doors and windows, and see that 

 there are no cracks or other openings to 

 admit air. Get an iron vessel and set it 

 on gravel or sand near the centre of the 

 house ; place a handful of shavings in the 

 vessel, saturate this with kerosene oil, 

 and then sprinkle on the top of the shav- 

 ings a quantity of sulphur, estimated at 

 the rate of 1 lb. to every 90 or 100 square 

 feet of floor space. Instead of using the 

 shavings and kerosene, the sulphur can 

 be saturated with wood alcohol. When 

 everything else is in readiness, light the 

 material and hastily leave the house. 

 There is very little danger of fire when 

 proper precautions have been taken to 

 have plenty of soil beneath the vessel. 

 Allow the house to remain closed for 

 three or lour hours, at the end of which 

 time one can safely conclude that there 

 are no living beings inside. Now throw 

 all the doors and windows wide open, 

 so as to drive out the sulphur fumes 

 thoroughly, and then the fowls may be 

 allowed to enter. Let them in one by 

 one, and as each enters catch it and dust 

 it well with insect powder, which will 

 destroy the pests on the birds. 



Tobacco dust is also good to use in- 

 stead of insect powder. The birds and 



