THE DAIRY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 691, 29 May 1885, Page 11

THE DAIRY.

MAGGOTS IN A CHEESE FACTORY. BY MISS E. A, OEMEROD, HONORARY ENTOMOLOGIST, R.A.S.E., IN TIIE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. > Your communication as to the enormous numbers of “ cheese jumpers ” found swarming in a dairy factory which had not been under careful management, together with the simple and successful plan of operations by which they were cleared oat, appears to me well worth publication. It is mentioned that the seams of the floors were full of “ jumpers,” and enormous masses were destroyed. The method adopted was to pursue them along every open seam, and into every opening of any kind, with a jet of super heated steam (probably 300 deg. Fahr.) ; thus immense quantities were killed, and raked out, and burned. After this every seam and cranny was thoroughly closed up with white lead putty. For months after this a woman was employed whose whole business it was to kill the flies aud now the premises are quite free from them. This thorough method of clearing out the hordes of maggots is well worth notice in reference to many other kinds of maggot or insects attack (often kept up year by year in stores, lofts, or boarded rooms), on which it would act just as well as on cheese maggots. In the case of these “ jumpers” (scientifically the larvm of the small shiny black fly, the Piophila casei) the maggot has immense powers of locomotion. It sets itself up on what may be called the tip of the tail and joins the head end to it, so as to form a kind of bow, and then loosijpg hold fl es through the air to some distance, and thus the hordes convey themselves into any nooks conveniently at hand to shelter them, whilst they turn to chrysalids. This condition is stated to last only for about 10 days, so that (where there is a succession of cheeses in a condition available for egg laying) increase goes on very rapidly. Inquiry is made whether any better course could have been followed to clear the maggots ? I do not see how anything better could have been done. The intensely hot steam penetrating into all nooks would kill all the vermin it touched, and the subsequent puttying up of all crannies and openings would prevent any new lodgment of maggots being made. It would also, I think, be useful in preventing the smell of grease, which these legions of maggots would have brought with them into the seams, from attracting further attack. These maggots live in various kinds of fat or grease, as weil as in cheese, and they are also stated on the authority of Bouehe (who made this branch of inquiry a special study) to be sometimes found in “ half rotten’’ human excrement. It might, therefore, be worth inquiry whether (as the factory is so especially mentioned as having been under careless management) the conditions of what are classed as “ sanitary arrangements” were in proper order. We cannot often give a cleansing by steam power; but if the plan of occasionally giving a thorough good scalding with boiling water to all attainable nooks (and especially at the angle where floor and wall join) was more followed out in lofts, stores, or store sheds, when they are temporariiy empty, I can say, from inquiries sent in as to prevention of ravages, that the practice would do a great deul of good. Also with regard to the plan of puttying up all chinks between wainscot and floor, I have found this answer excellently for getting rid of clothesmoth maggots, when all other means had failed, in clearing them out of an attic where they had got possession.— Eleanor A. Ormeroe, Dunster Lodge, near Isleworth. Wound in Cow’s Udder.—One of my most 1 valuable cows was poked by another very severely in the udder, causing a bad wound which gathered aud is now discharging aquan tity of matter. Instead of milk coming from that quarter when the teat is drawn, a lot of red watery stuff comes. I bathe it night and morning with warm water. Is there anything more that could be done ? If so, will anyone be good enough to inform me ? The cow lost her appetite while the wound was gathering, but it has returned now, and she appears to

be in but little or no pain, I may also mention that she lias recently calved.—A. B. A piece of tow dipped in carbolised oil, and then inserted carefully to the bottom of the wound, each time after milking, will materially assist in cleansing and setting up a healthy action in it; should the udder be much inflamed, a cooling lotion, such as “ Goulard’s water,” might be applied with advantage after bathing. Take care that your animat is not exposed to cold winds or draughts, or more serious mischief will probably he the result; also be careful not to feed her with too large a quantity of stimulating food, such as meal, cakes, &c>, until the wound has almost or quite healed.