Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-09-13
How to Exterminate the Pest.

~ tic LulubT lHE EVENING STAR:
have read the many articles on the question
| of how to exterminate bed bugs i'm THE STAR and
| other papers. and as none of the correspondents
| have thus far enlightened the inquiring public
how to destroy the eggs deposited in every
| crack and crevce of bedsteads | have con-
GUIDED to add my experience i'm that line. what
l gained while gay soldier boy i'm Uncle Sans
regular army. During my service we had the
Old fashioned wooden hunks. and | assure you
they were regular propagating establishments
Tor the chlnches. We tried all kinds of poiSons
DC. commonly used i'm warfare against these
pests, and while most of the remedies killed or
| drove Off the bugs. the eggs always remained
unlnJured. and in due season the new recruits
appeared. and the whole business had to be done
| over again An old sergeant a Frenchman
| VINO seemed to have special training i'm the art
OF war against yermn of all sorts. told me one
day while having the hunks of my section
washed. &c. that if | would have my men take
the hunks apart. expose them to the sun for
an hour or So and then squirt the ordinary coal
oil into every visible crevice and set it on fire
would never hear of bed bugs again. / quickly
followed his advice. with the most gratifying re-
suit. Since leaving the army L have become
pater familias, and have had occasion to apnly
the above simple method to rid ordinary bed
steads of the chinch bugs, and have never failed
to get rid of them. L will yet add that there is
not the slightest danger of injuring the finest
walnut bedstead by u-ing little care and, of
| course performing the operation in the open air.
Ii may not be generally known that these pests
will dry up and live without food or water for
years, and the moment they are brought in con-
tact with the genus homo they will come to life
and proceed to business. For this. have posi-
tive proof bale of mosquito bars, which had
been in use in 1854 and afterrepacking was stored
at the Philadelphia clothing depot till 1870, was
reissued to us i'm that year. When opened bed
bugs, apparently dead, We're found tightly
pressed in the seams and some fell out when the
bars were spread, but the very first night Ga ter
| ribly hot One) the pests came to life and fairly
drove US out of our quarters The Quartermas-
ter ordered the mosquito bars to be boiled in
water. and, while it may have killed some. the
bugs reappeared. and the mosquito bars were or
dered to be destroyed by fire. Ex-REGULAR.
How to Find the Capacity Of a Cistern.
To the Editor of THE EVENING STAR:
read the card from "J.B.L.." Capitol Hill, in
your issue of 18th, in which he says gave no
rule or solution of how to get the cubic feet of
water that falls on the roof He says ''let us
know how water is reckoned by cubic inches and
feet to get number Of gallons" The example
given in my letter referred to was a cistern to
feet wide and feet deep and would hold $50
gallons. This rule will find the correct number
of gallOns Multiply the length in inches by
the width in inches. and that by the depth in
inches, and divide the product by 231 (the num-
Der OF cubic inches i'm a standard gallon) and
Here is the solution: 70 inches length SO
inches width x 4S inches deptli-124, 416 :. 23l-
53S. 59ths gallons. To ascertain the size of
cisterns adapted to roofs. Rule: Multiply the
length Of the roof in inches by the breadth In
inches, and that by the depth of the fall of rain
required to be saved, and divide the product
by 231, and the Quotient will be the num-
Der of gallons. Divide the number of gallons
by 81 4, and it will give the number of barrels
The average amount Of rain that falls in this
latitude of the United States during the wear is
about 3 feet, as stated in I'D. S. Cs" letter of
LIST instant. The standard gallon contains 23l
cubic inches, and cubic foot contains 1. rs
cubic inches: Accordingly, cubic foot of water
contains 476ths of standard gallons Hence. if
we multiply the number Of cubic feet by 7476. il
VIII give the number of gallons in cistern. The
clsterns to store rain water for domestic use are
generally In circular shape, under ground. In
country residences the square cisterns are often
supplied by hydraulic ram from a spring or
brook, but when supplied from the roof the
clstern must be below the caves, i'm order to
conduct the flow from the roof The rule to find
the number OF gallons In circular cistern is not
SO simple as the square, but it can be applied
Win as much certainty as the above. hone
TINS explanation will be sufficient.
C. L. FREEMAN.