Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-08-12
Shoe Flyi

Utu0K years from tn0se unsuitable
summer pests, mosquitoes but no.
out of all his agony he can calmly
| gather up shreds of experience, and
jot down few facts that may help
some poor mortal to weather
through the season until divine Ma.
ture rids US OF our torn entors.
There is remedy even for these
Ills, and it is quite probable that
hundreds of your readers now have
1t in their houses, though ignorant
OF all it's uses, and the relief that is
lying just at their hands.
The Pyrethram roseun, orr P PERSIAN
camomile," Is the powdered leaf of
q harmless flower growing in eau.
oausian Asia in great profason.
where for centuries it has been used
to rid the natives of unweleome
guests from the insect world, Ii can
be purchased of almost any reliable
druggist at about seventy cents per
pound, all ready prepared for use.
With q finely powdered dust
made from these flowers, the mos
quito, the house fly, the wicked flea,
and the disgusting Ctme.c lectular-
'as may all be promptly put to flight
or calmly murdered-a murder ~
ferring on the human heart Joy too
deep for words for certainly it is a
JOY to sit, as do now, at my writ.
ing-table this hot July night watch
ing the expiring agonies of insects,
and rarely feel retribuiive sting TO
warn one Of their presence.
In order to eEjoy this vengeful,
delicious sport, it is only necessary
to heap up into little cone one
teaspoonful Of the blessed drug py-
rethrum, touch it with lighted
match, and watch the thin blue line
Of smoke as it rises &c the ceiling
and is waited through the air
changing the busy drone of insect
life into q weak wall OF insect wee.
Pretty soon down they come plump
on the table and over your paper,
apin on their tiny backs, and then
curl up their hair>like legs, aad in.
terest one no more.
Up stat 5 our little ones sleep un.
molested, though there are tnous.
ands of mosquitoes 10 the room the
pests are sick unto death, aud cling
sadly 10 The walls, TOO feeble 10
think of tapping tho rich. warm
blood that glows in raddy little
limbs below; the fume of the pyre-
thrum has settled their business
and while it fingers in the room oat
siders are unwilling to make an en-
try, though the window is raised,
and the lattices only half closed.
Gauze bars were long since ban.
ished from our beds; indeed, we
have not used them for nearly seven
years. They are hot, stufg things
at best, and one must be sadly driv-
en- to attempt to sleep under such
cover; then, Us we all know, tue
mosquito always fnds his way
through, no matter how carefully
one may tuck up its folds about the
couch.
Smoke from the Persian camomile
or It's dusty powder, we have found
most effioacious. and your readers
will bless me when once they try it.
The purity of tho drug must be as,
sured. This can readily be tested.
it must have bright buff color, be
light, readily burned, and give
pleasant, tea.lika fragrance one
pinch should kill q doz3n flies, con-
fined in bottle, at once, where it
fails of these properties, it has been
adulterated.
In common use in large or breszy
rooms, where from great dilution it
fails to kill, it nevertheless produces
on insect life, through its volatilized
essential oil of sesin, u0doub+ed
nausea, vertigo, respiratory spasms,
and paralysis. 1t acts upon them
through the minute spiracles, the
breathing tubes that stud the sur,
face Of their little bodies, and form
the delicate network of veins ia
their tiny wings.
To human beings it is, 80 far as
can ascertain, entirely innoxious
and not dis,greeaoe. That we--a
family Of eight persona, infants and
aGults-have lived for several weeks
in an stmosphrre ofpyrethrum dust
and smoke combined, duriog this
present summer, IS sufficient proof
Of my statement.
To tbs skep!ic | recommend an
interesting experiment: Puff the
pyreLhrum into close, warm room,
where flies most love to swarm, just
after dark shut the door, and make
another ysit in thirty minutes.
The Sight Of seeming millions of
dead and 50 lirming germin on the
floor viii do his heart good-;hat is,
if he is human, and not al angel.
Having drafted our plan of battle
against these little foes, it becomes
proper to speak of the care Of the
wounded. To cure mosqaito stings
| know Of nothing better than q
twenty per cent soiauon, IN either
oil or water, of pure carbolic acid.
This Ia to be rubbed well on the
painful spot. To baiha ones tia-
g,ing hands aud smarting limhs With.
this solution gives cooling, CRATE
fol sensation that ID hard to des.
cribe. Carboic soap will do almost
as well, or 81 ointment compound
of CARROLL camphor, and cosmoline.
Whatever preparation may be se-
Iected--perhaps the simplest is the
hest-in the CARROLL lies ell the vir-
tue, because Of its annsthetic action
en- terminal nsrge roots or flores.
Carbol, however, has no power, that
| am aware al, TO drive mosquitoes
away, and its careless uss 10 large
/ quantities might Dc dangerous
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