The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-08-27
HOUSEHOLD AND FARM.



have had another bout with these pests
How do they come, Iwish they made noise
like mosquitoes; hut no! they come upon you
like tibet IN the night while all is quiet.
am thankful that bite wakes me at once
else might not have known TO this day that
the enemy was in our midst. 1t was more
than two weeks after felt the first alarm, and
lit lamp to kill the foe, before was able tC
clean the suspicious chamber. Every day
turned up the corners of the mattresses and ex
amined the bedsteads, and scrulniZed all tho
bedding and walls, but never bug did sec
except IN the night. Only few nights he
fore The cleaning found the first small bugs
half dozen adults having preceded them in
previous nights. never sleep soundly when
/ suspect bee. bugs, but light lamp and &c
10 hunting whenever hear a child nesting
uneas,ly. I began to clean the chamber by ex
aiming all the clothing rs l took it down
from the hooks; all the articles of furniture as
removed them from the rooms; then every
article of bedding, but with no success until
came 10 the mattresses. On two corners
found the clusters of tiny white eggs with
some ncwlyhatched bugs, and IN two or three
places in the spring. bed, nests which prom
ised u prolific increase. All of the time was
very careful not to scatter them, preferring to
hunt them in the bedsteads and hoping to run
der the mOb-bOards. One slat at . time was
taken out carefully, watching at each end, and
then examined in every portion before putting
back. The whole bedstead was cleaned, and
then the cracks and joints brushed with am.
monia. like to use this because it kills the
bugs and Il 6eliere but am not certain from
my own observatory destroys the life of the
eggs, but its powerful smell brings out IN dis
may any bugs that have escaped my eye. l
use fine knitting needle to poke out the
cracks. / kill all Of the bugs, and crush all
the eggs thar see. and dose well with am.
mOnia where l can not see found only q
few full.grown bugs, and it seemed to me !
did the hunting and destruction business very
thoroughly, but never feel sure that the work
Is all done, and continue to watch and search
for some time after the big hunt. If see an,
other bug shall try the new remedy recon-
mended to me by q neighbOr. She says there
is nothing like alum. as she has learned by
experience. Her directions we're: dissolve
alum in water, using a little more alum than
the water will take up. Wash over every pos
sible place for bugs with this strong solution.
using a rag or a brush, as IS most convenient"
This remedy is safe and cheap, and Is said to
be very effectual. For log house, or IN I'M.
finished rooms, how would 1t do to use white.
wash brush and go ali over the walls, floors
dissolved IN water.
asked, How do they come" We can
not tell in each particular case, but by grtat
care we can usually keep free from them,
though the case IS hard one when one moves
into house with infested walls. My neigh.
Dor lent an umbrella, and when. after week
or so, It was returned she opened 1t while car
rying 1t to Its place. She had no thought OF
bugs but there was poor hungry.lOoking
bed.bug III the folds of the umbrella! A hired
man came TO place to work, and the next
morning bug was found on the wall near his
valse. An Overcoat was borrowed in a storm,
and IN Its folds was found bedbug. People,
who are very careful never lay the outer cloth
ing Of visitors upon beu, but upon table or
chair. 1t seems unklnd to be suspicious. but
my mother tells of seeing a great bed bug on
the shawl Of avisitor, as it was handed to her,
which 50 disconnected her that she lmpulsive-
ly started to carry both bonnet and shawl in,OI
the woodshed. A very neat and lovely lady
told me of finding one Of these repulsive in
sects on the strings Of her Leghorn bonnet on
her return home from Church.-Cor. american
A0ricuNurist