Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-08-20
PLANS DEATH TO FLIES.
Iron Sulphate Solution Kills the Pest
and Removes Typhoid Danger.

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Destruction of the disease carrying
house-hy will be possible next year if
the faith that John J. Davis, assistant
Illinois State Entomologist, puts in his
experiments with preyentives proves to
be justified. The Punishment of nearly
all typhoid fever from country districts
and of part of the typhoid from cities,
made possible by the results of the eN-
perments that he will have completed by
next spring, will be, he believes, a sub
ject for legislation and police activity.
DESTROY the maggots in heaps of re-
fuse and so per cent OF the flies will be
kept from life.
This is the dictum which was given by
Mr.. Davis. as lie sat i'm his bushoaSe.
the laboratory and breeding room that
has been constructed for his experiments
at Lowell and West Waveland avenues,
on the grounds of the new Carl SchurZ
High School. To this place he went last
winter. deserving the structure of wire
screens which he and his experimental
subjects had occupied for several months
near the Oak Park High School.
by next spring." said Mr.. Davis, while
houseflies buzzed fearlessIy about his
head. Il should be in a position to say
just how the maggots of the flies can be
most easily destroyed in the greatest
numbers and how the flies that escape
destruction in the maggot stage of their
existence can be fought when they reach
the adult form. This will be done only
by putting poison in refuse heaps and by
supplying parasites in sufficient numbers
to kill the flies not killed by poison
AT least so per cent of the flies are de-
veloped from eggs laid in manure. If the
manure is carted away once every week.
so that the eggs ado not have time to de-
velop. the plague of flies will be no Ion
ger a plague. If the manure is prompt
ly spread out on the ground the sun will
quickly kill eggs and maggots.
IF people will not clean their stables
once a week, the manure heaps and
boxes must be treated with chemicals if
flies are not to come with them. The
finding of the substance that will do this
work best and yet not cost too much is
what my experiments are directed to-
ward.
The process of study requires first an
investigation into the life history of the
subject and then experiments with all
possible methods of destruction as may
be indicated by the facts obtained from
the study of the life history: My ex-
periments with the house fly have been
carried on at the county farm at Dun
ming.
II have boxes about a foot deep filed
with manure to which flies have been al
lowed access for laying eggs. With the
a bn af oLo
age | have treated each box with poison
Gus substances to see what will be best
to kill all life. | have tried almost every
thingthing that l could think of and
have decided that about half a dozen
substances are the best. | have had
different degrees of success with paris
green. cyanide of potassium, sulphate of
iron and of copper and kerosene.
The kerosene kills everything in the
manure, but it kills the manure too.
After kerosene treatment the manure
cannot be used as a fertilizer.
THE iron sulphate has given the best
results. 1t penetrates every where and
kills practically all the maggots. 1t does
not harm the manure Indeed, iron sui
phate solution is sprayed on fields to kill
can be bought for about ST. That amount
will last long time in an ordinory sta
Bile. A solutinn of one pound a gal
Ion of water, would be stronger than
necessary, and gallon of the solution
would be more than enough. | should
say, for stable where one horse is kept.
The sterilization would be done at a cost
of less than one cent a day.
Treatment of all manure heaps and
also of garbage pals in a neighborhood
would free that neighborhood of flies
Though fly may go a mile or more if
there is no food near by. it will not go
more than three blocks in residence
neighborhood. I have proved this by
spraying some flies with solution of
phenolphthalein. a lolorless substance
that becomes red when 1t is touched by
the slightest trace Of alkali, and then