PREVENTION EASY. 
118 
is decidedly a gain to the farmer, without taking into consideration the 
prevention of casualties caused to the dairy herd by mistimed galloping, 
and also by cases of sickness and death. 
Very great progress has been made in prevention, and it could not 
be expected that an evil of such long standing should be undermined 
at once; but the great difficulty in making progress (that is, the diffi¬ 
culty of those who understood the needs of their cattle, as owners and 
breeders, agents of large properties, and farmers all over the country) 
has been that there were many who would not believe, or at least 
would not acknowledge, that the attack was a loss to the owner. 
At first we had to meet the old idea that the swellings were nothing 
but “health-bumps!” By years of work (although this misconception 
still lingers amongst the ignorant, and the allegation that it is so 
amongst those who wish to get injured beasts off their hands at price 
of good ones) we have disproved with all instructed observers this 
“boil theory” by showing that the cause of the swelling is a growing 
maggot. Still, however, one of the points constantly brought before 
me in letters from farmers who were themselves carefully attending to 
their stock was the manner in which general stamping out of the pest 
was impeded and delayed by those who alleged it was of no use 
troubling themselves, for they “would not get a penny more for a beast 
without Warbles ! ” 
But now, in the direct proof given by the long-known occurrence 
of “licked beef” ( i . e., inflammation to an extent to alter the condition 
of the tissues of the animal) being brought forward demonstrably in 
connection with much maggot-presence, we put in the hands of vast 
numbers who wish to know, a reason of the failing of their beasts which 
otherwise they would not so fully have understood, and also enable 
them to point out to their neighbours how to look for and cure what 
otherwise would be a probable cause of much loss. 
The treatment to stamp out the pest (to all practical purposes) is 
simple, cheap, very easily applied, and sure in effect. In the copy of 
the Warble leaflet appended (of which it will be seen the circulation 
has now reached beyond a hundred thousand) the main points of 
Warble-attack and the main points of treatment are shortly given. 
Those who wish to study the kinds of dressings most used, and 
methods and effects of application, will find them in detail, with name 
and locality of observer appended, in previous Reports, especially at 
p. 103, and at pp. 112-114 of 8th Report; pp. 89-96 of 9th Report; 
pp. 96-98 of 10th Report; pp. 110-111 of 11th Report; and pp. 105- 
110 of 12th Report. 
Any treatment will answer which will either remove the maggot 
bodily whilst still alive from the Warble-cell, or will destroy the 
maggot in the cell, without giving pain or risking injury to the infested 
