Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-09-20
..TRUTH ABOUT THE fly.
Some Crimes of the commonest Invader
of Your Home. =. =. =. =.

aerator through which the fresh milk
was passing as covered with flies"
Now, If these flies had just had ac-
cess to matter infected with typhoid
enough colonies could have been
started in that good culture medium
to cause an epidemic of the disease.
and who but this observer would
have guessed it's source.
What, then, is to be done to pro-
tect our food supply from this dis
gusting and dangerous insect? 1t
will be we'll to note, first, what has
been accomplished in the extirpation
of other insect pests.
A year ago New Orleans learned
at heavy cost that if the city was to
be freed from yellow fever the mos
quito must 60; and in the space of
few months, so vigorous was the
campaign, the now famous stegomia
or yellow fever mosquito was nearly
exterminated. and price is now set
on its head. l am informed that
scientists who went to study the in
sect were obliged to leave because
they could find no material
This result was brought about by
covering their breeding places with
kerosene and by the thorough fumi-
cation of houses.
Is it too much to hope that in the
small town and the farming commu-
nifty this pest may be somewhat
ohafado Tn Eronco durino tho Daat
winter jury of scientific men award
ed prize of 10000 francs to the
author of a memoir which outlined
a method for the use of "residum
oil' in the destruction of the eggs
and larvae of the fly. Two litres Of
oil to every square metre of surface
of pit or manure pile was found to
make a protective covering which
killed the larvae and prevented the
entrance of flies and the Matching of
eggs.
Visit in summer any suburb that
is frequented by picnic PARTIES At
the rear will be found piles of tin
cans, papers and fragments of rotting
food. Here feed swarms of flies that
have found their breeding ground
further on where the horses were
tied, and these unclean insects are
ready to descend on the food laid out
by each party of picnickers. 1t is by
no means impossible that an un-
noticed fly speck on the cake may be
responsible for a sporadic case of
typhoid fever or intestinal tuber-
culosis.
And this insect, born in a dung
hill and feeding on what is foul and
diseased, is a daily household guest,
as witness its very name, "the COM
mon house fly"
l have sought in vain for any
proof of good to man that can be
credited to this insect When l was
child l used to hear it said tnat
flies were our friends because they
were scavengers-that they Con.
sumed what would otherwise be
source of danger to us. For the same
reason, great should be the debt Of
the New Orlenas marketman to the
buzzard that street cleaner who
works for his board. But we have
found better ways of cleaning our
markets, streets and houses, and can
well dispense with the services of un.
clean beasts and insects, who may
leave behind them far worse things
than they carry away.
The housewife who gives frenzied
chase to the intruder is not putting
in her work at the most promising
end of the line. The fly, like the
mosquito, is only to be destroyed by
allowing it no breeding place. The
Delineator.