1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
3o3 
plants of red cabbage, and a few that are only half- 
and-half each season. 
Although barely medium in size, the solidity of the 
beads makes them average well in weight, and the 
fact that every head is hard, makes the total weight 
per acre, from a well-grown crop, surprisingly large. 
Three typical heads, just selected, give the following 
measurements: 
Weight, pounds. 4 5 8 
Diameter, inches. 6 % 7*4 9 
Depth, inches. 5*£ 8 7*4 
The Danish cabbage has a large core, but is other¬ 
wise fine grained and of extra quality. It is a late 
cabbage and, being hard before maturity, is often 
harvested when immature. Such cabbage, as well as 
that from stunted plants, is usually pointed at the 
base, the depth equaling the diameter, and has prom¬ 
inent ribs, which with the large stump, give it a 
coarse appearance. It is a remarkably good keeper, 
in the field, in the cellar, or buried. Instead of burst¬ 
ing in the field, the outer leaves crack away from the 
stem—the lesser of two evils. By selecting heads not 
overripe, they may be kept until very late in the 
spring, when they usually bring good prices. The 
outer leaves are rather large, few in number, and 
very narrow at the base. These peculiar, dark green 
leaves, with the ball-shaped head in the center, and 
all set on a very long stalk, give the Danish Ball-Head 
a distinctive appearance that, once seen, will never 
be mistaken. geo. Arnold, jr. 
Monroe County, N. Y. 
The Farmers’ Club. 
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piece of paper.] 
THE WORK OF THE OX GADFLY. 
How Does It Get from Throat to Back ? 
Prof. C. 0. Flagg, Rhode Island Experiment Station.—I Hud on 
page 229 of Tub R. N.-.Y, an article on Grubs in a Cow’s Back, 
which is quite different from what I had supposed the true life 
history of the warble-fly to be. Dr. Kilborne gives the name as 
Hypoderma lineata. In what he quotes from Dr. Curtice, the fly 
is called a botfly, and he used the term botfly and gadfly as 
synonymous. Is this true, or are they flies of different species ? 
The Century dictionary gives the name of warble-fly as Hypo- 
derma bovis. In the life history by Dr. Curtice as given, the article 
says, “ During the early part of winter, the grubs may be found 
in the walls of the gullet or esophagus. Later, about Christmas 
time, the grubs first appear under the skin of the back or loins, 
when the warbles are formed.” The question is, if this is the same 
species, how does it get from the gullet of the animal to its posi¬ 
tion under the skin on the back ? In the life history given, have 
not the botfly and gadfly, two species, become mixed up 7 
C. II. B., South Hingham, Mass.— Referring to grubs in a cow’s 
back, I would like to ask how it is possible for the larvae to get 
from the esophagus, stomach, or intestines to the back. From 
boyhood, I have had the impression that the grubs in cows’ backs 
came from eggs deposited in holes sawed there by the gadfly, a 
black fly about the size of the bumblebee. The botfly looks like 
a drone honey bee, color and all, except in having a long trunk 
from which the eggs are glued on to the hairs of the horse, mostly 
on the long hairs of the legs. The horse licks off the eggs, which 
pass to the stomach, hatch, and the larva? attach themselves by 
two hooks or claws to the lining of the stomach, which they pro¬ 
ceed to devour, and continue to do so until grown. Then they pass 
with the excrement, and soon crawl from the manure pile, with 
wings, ready to do it all over again. 
ANSWERED BY F. L. KILBORNE, B. Y. S. 
In replying to the letter of Director Flagg, I will 
say, that I ought, perhaps, to have stated in my 
answer on page 229, that the life history of the ox 
botfly, as quoted from Dr. Curtice, was a recent dis¬ 
covery ; and that the version as given by our older 
American writers, was an error, at least so far as con¬ 
cerns the common species found in the United States.. 
The popular names of botfly and gadfly, applied to the 
Oestridae infesting the horse, cattle and sheep, are 
used synonymously by American writers. Packard, 
Guide to the Study of Insects, speaks of them as 
botflies or breezeflies. Law, Farmer’s Veterinary 
Adviser, uses only the term gadfly. The name warble- 
fly, which is rarely used, applies only to the Oestridae 
which produce warbles, as in the ox, deer, rabbit, etc. 
Prior to 1891, all writings on the ox warble, spoke of 
the adult fly as Hypoderma bovis, De Geer. During 
the years 1888-91, Dr. Cooper Curtice, who was then 
with the Bureau of Animal Industry, United States 
Department of Agriculture, discovered that the com¬ 
mon warblefly of this country was not the Hypo¬ 
derma bovis, De Geer, but the Hypoderma lineata, 
Villers. By a careful comparison of the descriptions 
of H. bovis and H. lineata with the 500 specimens 
of mature larvae in the Bureau collection from 
the northeastern United States, and also of the 
specimens in the collection of the United States 
National Museum and Entomological Division of the 
Department of Agriculture, Dr. Curtice found that 
all closely agreed with the description of H. lineata, 
and none with H. bovis. From these, and other facts 
in his possession, and as the result of his observations 
and researches, Dr. Curtice indicates the following 
facts (The Journal of Comparative Medical and Veter¬ 
inary Archives, Vol. XII., No. 6, 1891): 
“1. No adults of Hypoderma bovis have ever been 
recorded or captured in this country, all have been H. 
lineata. 
“2. No original figures of II. bovis drawn in this 
country have yet appeared. 
“ 3. All American writings concerning the cattle 
grub have, evidently, been drawn from European 
sources, together with figures ; and few actual obser¬ 
vations of biology or of detailed anatomy of adult or 
larvae have been made.” 
Whether the old, generally-accepted life history of 
the Hypoderma bovis, that the eggs are deposited on 
the backs of cattle, where they hatch and the young 
larvae bore through the skin, is true of the European 
species, I cannot say. It is evidently not true of our 
common American warble-fly or H. lineata. 
While in charge of the Veterinary Experiment Sta¬ 
tion at the United States Bureau of Animal Industry, 
1885-’94, I was able to observe and confirm many of 
the facts noted by Dr. Curtice. Most important among 
them are the following : 
1. During the esophagal stage, from autumn until late 
in December, the larvae are found only in the esopha¬ 
gus (rarely in other tissues) and none under the skin. 
2. That “about Christmas time,” the larvae begin to 
disappear from the esophagus and first appear under 
HALF OF A “ VINELESS” STRAWBERRY PLANT. Fig. 99. 
the skin ; and that by the last of January or first of 
February, all have disappeared from the esophagus. 
3. That the esophagal stage is identical with the 
earliest stage found under the skin. 
If the old version were true, the larvae ought to be 
found under the skin during November and early De¬ 
cember ; but since they are not, where are they if not 
in the esophagus ? Just what course the larvae take in 
passing from the esophagus to the region of the back, 
has not been definitely demonstrated. It is believed 
that they readily migrate through the intervening 
tissues. Owing to their small size and transparency, 
they could be found at this time only by a trained 
observer. That the larvae can and do migrate, is 
demonstrated by the fact that they have been found 
by Brauer in the subcutaneous muscles, and on the 
thoracic side of the 11th rib ; by Huirichsen in the 
spinal canal ; and by Curtice in the connective tissue 
immediately adjacent the spleen. From the appear¬ 
ance and character of the earliest grub holes that 
have been observed in the skin, the size of which cor¬ 
responds with the caliber of the grub, it is evident 
that the holes were bored from within outward, and 
not from without inward. 
Dr. Curtice further observed that, “ just preceding 
the time when one is able to find the young warbles 
in the skin, that condition known to butchers as 
‘ lick ’ appears. The ‘ lick ’ is nothing more than an 
effusion of serum into the connective tissue mem¬ 
brane, and is produced by the inflammation set up by 
the wanderings of the young grubs. This effusion 
can also be found in the walls of the esophagus, just 
prior to the final disappearance of the grubs. The 
disappearance of the ‘ licks ’ from the tissues under¬ 
lying that portion of the hide most infested, the 
saddle, is followed by finding the grubs in sacs in the 
first and second cutaneous stages. When the sacs are 
well formed the ‘ licks ’ have disappeared.” 
If Director Flagg still believes that there is an error 
in Dr. Curtice’s observations, it is not yet too late for 
the experiment station to rear some of the flies by 
collecting larvae from grubby cattle ; and next fall 
and winter confirm or correct those observations. 
To the criticism of C. H. B., 1 will only add, that 
many of the statements and theories we were taught 
during our boyhood, have since been discovered to 
have been erroneous. The identity and life history of 
our American Ox gadfly is one of them, as shown by 
the investigations of Dr. Curtice. Even before these 
observations, it had been conclusively shown that 
the gadfly did not saw holes in the cow’s back, and 
that it was impossible for the fly to lay or deposit the 
eggs under the skin. 
The Painted Hickory Borer. 
G. E. P., Woodbridge, Conn. —I sold some hickory wood to a cus¬ 
tomer in New Haven, and some bugs came out of the wood and 
swarmed over the house, getting into carpets, rugs and portieres, 
becoming a nuisance. The customer complained, and I investi¬ 
gated, but could not find another case, although I put a number 
of cords in the same block, and a good deal more in different 
parts of the city. The wood had been cut and piled 18 months, 
and appeared to be in good shape. I have heard to-day of one 
other case in Brooklyn, N. Y., where they had the same trouble. 
I knew of the bug or beetle which eats into hickory as soon as 
cut, but have never seen them work in this way before. What 
made them come out in that particular case, and in none of the 
others ? 
ANSWERED BY M. V. 8LINGERLAND. 
It is not an uncommon experience for those who use 
hickory wood in fire-places, to find flying about the 
house, many beautiful black beetles with numerous 
yellow bands crossing the body. The beetles are 
nearly an inch in length, and are known as the 
Painted Hickory-borer (Cyllene pictus) ; they are fre¬ 
quently brought to light in splitting hickory wood. 
The beetles are the parents of grubs, resembling the 
Round-headed Apple-borer, which burrow in the 
wood, apparently in both living and dead tissue. 
They are often the cause of the “ powder-posting” of 
hickory timber of all kinds. But little definite knowl¬ 
edge of the life history of the insect seems to have 
been recorded. For a long time, it was thought to be 
the same as the borer which is so destructive to locust 
trees all over the country ; but the locust beetles 
emerge in the fall, while those from the hickory 
usually come out in the spring. 
The hickory wood may have contained the eggs or 
young grubs when cut, and the beetles had nearly 
reached their development when the wood was dray n 
to the customer. The heat of the shed or room caused 
the beetles to emerge sooner than they naturally 
would in the forest. Not knowing all of the condi¬ 
tions, I cannot explain why the beetles appeared in 
such numbers in the one instance. Perhaps only the 
one tree was infested ; possibly in the other cases, the 
wood was burned in stoves, thus not allowing the 
beetles to get into the rooms ; or several other condi¬ 
tions may have made the difference. The beetles 
could do no harm in the house, and if the windows 
were opened, they would, doubtless, soon find their 
way out. Their favorite haunts are the beautiful 
flowers of the golden rod, which are so richly laden 
with their favorite food—pollen. I know of no way 
to prevent them from entering houses except to use 
some other wood than hickory ; there is no practi¬ 
cable method of keeping them out of hickory wood. 
Plant Traps for Cabbage Insects. 
J. H. M., Chicago, III. —As a remedy against the ravages of the 
fly on cabbage plants, I have heard it said that the latter should 
be sown with some other seed whose leaves were fly-proof. Can 
you suggest a suitable variety to mix with the cabbage seed 
where both will grow together, and thus favor the young cabbage 
plants until large enough for transplanting ? 
Ans.—I believe that the theory or principle involved 
in J. H. M.’s question is wrong. That is, I do not 
believe that there is any plant that would exert 
sufficient influence, whether odorous or otherwise, 
over any insect life to prevent the insect from feed¬ 
ing upon its favorite food, however near the latter 
was growing to the supposed obnoxious plant. There 
are, doubtless, many plants that the flea-beetles would 
not ordinarily feed upon which might be grown with 
the cabbage plants, but how would these offer any 
protection to the latter? Insects are not slow to 
learn the whereabouts of their food supply, however 
carefully it may be hidden among objectionable 
plants. Another principle, directly opposed to the 
one just discussed, may sometimes be taken advantage 
of in our warfare against insects ; and it may prove 
useful in this case. That is, it is sometimes practi¬ 
cable to divert the attention of insects from certain 
plants by growing among, or near by them, other 
plants more attractive to the insects. One of the most 
