166 
Mr. Gillette asked how the hen louse could be destroyed. 
Mr. Osborn, iu reply, said he thought the use of tar on the ends of the 
poles in the henhouse could be made to answer this purpose. 
Mr. Aldrich thought it not safe to recommend the use of kerosene oil 
for destroying insects on animals, because of the injurious effect on the 
skins of the host. 
Mr. Gillette replied that he agreed that kerosene should not be used 
for sheep, but for hogs and cattle it was useful. 
Mr. Eiley remarked that he was deeply interested in the change of 
opinion resulting from later experience and experiments regarding the 
usefulness of the kerosene emulsion in destroying animal parasites, and 
particularly in Mr. Gillette's altered experience in reference to its use 
on sheep. He thought, however, that the difficulties of making a good 
kerosene emulsion and of getting intelligent farmers to use it safely 
were unnecessarily magnified. He could not accept the doctrine that 
of two given remedies the poorer one was to be recommended because 
the better required a little more care and intelligence in making and 
nsing. 
Mr. Hopkins had used sulphur for stock at all times and found it not 
injurious. 
Mr. Weed reported that sulphur and salt mixed were fed to stock 
in Mississippi for ticks. Some thought it ineffective. But it was tried 
a,t the station and found to be a complete remedy. It had been claimed 
that sulphur used during wet weather was injurious, but this was tried 
and found not to be true. Sulphur had been supposed to cause a 
decrease in the quantity of milk, but careful experiments at the Missis- 
sippi Station had shown this to be untrue. The sulphur and salt 
should be kept in use constantly. Ticks, he thought, infested by 
preference animals in poor health, and the chief good done by feeding 
sulphur and salt was keeping up the health of stock by destroying 
internal parasites. 
Mr. Gillette inquired if the real bedbug ever occurred in hen houses. 
A case occurred in Iowa where bugs, which appeared to be the same 
as that found in dwellings, were abundant. 
Mr. Howard remarked that Townsend, of ^ew Mexico, had recently 
discovered another species ( Cimex inodora Duges) in henhouses. 
Mr. Osborn thought the characters of the form occurring in hen- 
houses might be considered either varietal or specific. 
The following paper was then read : 
