OPEN COLUMN

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4288, 22 February 1901, Page 7

OPEN COLUMN

e BOT-FLIES AND HORSES. 7 Air A. J. Knocks, Otaki, writes as j follows;—There was recently published in the “ Times ” a letter to the Government Veterinarian from the Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry, Eniited ( States Department of Agriculture. 5n . this Air Salmon states that veterinarij ins in America do not consider that . bots do the horses any injury. I have I made the subject a study for several /ears, and claim to have considerable

knowledge and proof to the contrary. Observing that hor-es tormented by the , 3y invariably, if loose, seek the shade or water, where the fly does not seem to venture, I have yome to the conclusion that the fly only deposits its eggs in the sunshine, in order that the glutinous substance with which the • egg is covered may speedily dry, and so adhere that shortly afterwards any attempt to remove the egg with the Angers will be futile. It is in the summer months that the eggs are deposited, chiefly on those parts of the Animal's body where they are likely to come in contact ‘with the mouth. A few days ifter deposit, the appiication of the heat nid moisture of the mouth brings out the larvae, which in that state are transferred with the food to the stomach. Only in few instances are the eggs themselves detached and so swallowed. For three or four months these maggots remain at tho sensitive pyloric opening, when they take up their positions at the right or left half of the stomach, I have never found in the first instance, adhering to either tho cuticular or villous coat.' Bots may be present, anchored, ns it were, on the left half of the .stomach, and not cause the horse much harm ; but when from two to five dinddrod of these pests, each armed with about 250 spikes, crowd the highly sensitive parts, tho pylorus and tho duodenum, in .such numbers as to block the passage, it is small wonder that I and others have frequently found these parts covered with ulcerated sores. If intestinal worms, without the hooks and spikes, arc injurious to the horsp, what must be tho effect of this army of “lancers,” attached by. .hooks, ’ feeding on tho mucous .membrane of the stomach for the autumn and winter months, growing in size and so swelling the small indentations or pits first made, only leaving, home;, as'.nature demands a change of state to make room for a now colony before the poor animal has recovered from their ravages? In my opinion, veterinary surgeons have been very callous about hots. The hots have only made their frightful havoc with horses in this colony for about eleven years, and for the, past few years I have endeavoured to,, impress upon veterinary surgeons the desirability of coping with the posts. They have preferred to ruh in the old groove, and attribute tho cause of many deaths to rupture of the stomach or colic. No doubt colic and rupture have been responsible for many deaths; but I have frequently shown,"to unprejudiced persons, that bots wore the primary cause; January and February are the months when the hot is at its largest growth, and horses generally in their best condition ; yet during these mouths last year I know of twenty horses in this district alone that died suddenly, and so far I have heard of nine this year. ’ Several of these horses, I know, succumbed to the irritating presence of the hot ; the others I fully believefram the same cause." T’have several spebimens of portions of the stomach in my possession, with bots adhering, many almost buried in theA coating, which is indented and perforated to such an extent .as to cause, surprise as to how the animals could live so long. lam of opinion that, considering the proximity of the left and middle lobes of the liver to the ri]ght part of the stomach; and ,of the spleen to the left extremity, those important organs are within easy reach of the ruthless army of spiked hots. I have specimens oj the hot in all its stages, and tho digestive portion of the stomach, showing the work done by the hot, to, stimulate digestion,' as Mr Salmon puts it, with appropriate photographs/ ! shall be pleased to explain to any one who I may realise the importance of dealing with the matter. It is useless for any responsible veterinarians to any-longer j deny the harm done by the hot, for it has been repeatedly shown, and I have several expert opinions of veterinarians who acknowledge it, but say they know little about it. Nervy, considering the increase of tho pest, is it not time that tho persons in authority acknowledged their error, learnt hard facts, and how to deal with them ?

DECLINING CRICKET. The candid assertion “that there arc more cricket enthusiasts than there are cricket benefactors in Wellington ” is (writes “Clean-Stumped”) perfectly true, and it is astounding, in snob an opulent city as this, that only the beggarly sum of £6 &s 6d can be raised on a gloriously fine day, to replenish the association’s depleted exchequer. Wellington is proverbial for its stinginess in support of cricket, the game of games of all British sports and pastimes. Even persevering, struggling, go-ahead, young Napier has to remind the boasted Empire City of its long overdue indebtedness to that district, and its imperative duty “to foster the game amongst the younger generation, and allow anyone under sixteen years 'of age who showed genuine keenness on the gjame • free admission to the ground.” Dives should certainly “ shell out ” ’handsomely, and help to accomplish this excellent end, and not allow this withering blight to remain any longer upon the city vaunted as “ Suprema a situ.”