THE NUISANCE OF FLIES

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1611, 14 January 1903, Page 63

THE NUISANCE OF FLIES

An American dairy farmer, whose conditions appear to be very similar ro those of New Zealand, has been figuring out what it costs him per season to entertain flies. He says: Last year I was able to Keep up the milk flow through August (midsummer in America), notwithstanding the fact that the falling off of milk at the factories was more serious than any year previous, ‘ principally on account of the flies. I was no more immune from flies and dried up pastures than any other locality, yet through August my milk flow was but l-Jlb per cow per day less than in the flush of June pasture, and tills with cows which calved in the spring. I used pure kerosene- oil, and think it is the simplest, cleanest and most potent remedy among the many fly preventives in use. I use a common tin hand spray that holds a auart of liquid, and it is but the work of two minutes for each cow to spray them for flies every day. When flies are very persistent I spray twice—morning and night—as kerosene evaporates very quickly. One quart of kerosene is sufficient to spray ten cows once, and costs 5 cents, or o£d per cow. To test the value of the kerosene spray from an economical point of view,' I have occasionally desisted from spraying. On these occasions the cows were pretty well covered with flies, though sprayed the previous evening. Oh the following morning the milk/flow fell off an average of 21b per cow; and at night about 31b from the daily average for the week. That showed .a loss of olb milk per day, notwithstanding the fact that the cows' "were fed an abundance of green feed at each, milking. I r«m satisfied that a haltf-cent’s worth of kerosene oil and t-wp minutes’ time give 51b milk, which to mo is worth 5 cents. I have previously tried fish oil and other ingredients as a fly preventive, but find .luoli oil mixtures are nasty to apply, and emit a disagreeable odour, besides attracting dust”and sand on the cows’/bodies. One day last summer Pt was out of kerosene, and having nqs other oily ingredient at hand salve tallow, I melted a quantity on thee stove, and to cause a pungent smell adeled two tablespoonfuls /turpentine to O/ie pint melted tallow. • This I applied to the cows while warm, and found it bad a splendid effect in warding off /the flies, and what was more, the weather being wet at the time, found it to /be the most lasting fly preventive I ffver tried. It forms a scale, or coat, dpx the hair that withstands the attack of flies, and for wet or rainy weather c-Jppears to be

much ahead of kerosene. The wet apparently increases its adhesive qualities. But it is nasty to apply, and takes a much longer time. A brush is not very good to apply it with, so, for best effects, it must be applied with the hand. Have the tallow mixture and liquid" warm, and apply t-o the withers, front, sides, belly, fore legs and horns with the palm of the hand. The tallow mixture is withal somewhat dear, so X only use it in wet weather, and depend almost wholly on the kerosene spray.