THE WARBLE FLY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1809, 23 July 1913, Page 10

THE WARBLE FLY.

DAMAGE TO CANADIAN HIDES. Cattle, misers in almost all parts of Canada are familiar with the small lumps that appear on the backs of their animals during tho winter months, and from which white iambs or maggots emergo at a later,, date, says .the "News Bulletin," Winnipeg. Many theories exist as to the exact life history of tho insect, known as tho Warbloy Fly, of which tho whito-i;riib'is' tlic larva. The opinion generally held "that tins .eggs'are laid on the backs of the cattle, and when hatched work their way. beneath tho skin, is proved by careful investigation tft.'bo incorrect. Dr. Seymour Hadwin, first assistant pathologist of the Health of Animals Branch of the Dominion Department of Agriculture, who has studied tho Bubject, claims that the eggs are not laid oil the back, but on the legs of tho cattle. This appears to bear out the theory that tho newly hatched insects are licked by the animals and thus taken into the system and ultimately find their way to tho tacks' where they develop beneath the skin.

Heavy Loss on Hides. The matter of chief importance to the cattle raiser is not tho exact course taken by the insect within the body of tho cattlo beast,-but rather tho economic effect of tho grubs upon the business of cattle raising. To.-throw light on this phase of the subject. Dr.-Hadwin has -written » bulletin, which is numbered 16 of the Health of.Animals Branch, dealing with the economic aspect of warble flies. In this it is shown that enormous lisses occur each year through damaao tii hides caused by these insects. Tanners consulted on tho subject claim that during the "grubby season," extending from January to July, from 25 to 75 per ccnt of hides are warbled and that about 20 per cent of Canadian hides are more or less damaged; Tho extent of damage is variously estimated by 10 largo tanners to be from about 50 cents to one dollar per hide; the estimate of ono Ontario tanner was 10 pSr cent, which is equal to .£36,000, per annum. The author observes that the man who undoubtedly loses is the farmer; the tanner does not want warbled hides at any price and sev- ' ernl of them testify that tney buy hides only during the season when hides are ' not grubby. He estimates the annual loss to be between 25 and 30 por cent. In view of the number of Canadian oattle imported into New Zealand of late it is to be hoped that the officers of the Department of Agriculture arc on tho alert to prevent the introduction of tho pest mentioned into this country.