El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-03-20

lessen the fly population of this year by a
half of that Of 1911 and in this way de-
crease the danger from typhoid and
/ other diseases which the little summer
pest is known to spread. The fly fight
ing campaign of 1912 IS now on
Since the beginning of annual anti
fly campaigns nearly four years ago,
much progress has been made, and a
Few more years of persistent work such
as mas been outlined by the American
! Civic association and other OrganiZa-
! tons Is expected to make great in
/ roads into the family OF the musca
/ domestica, which is the scientists name
| for the common house fly, or typhoid
/ lily as il is Low called.
XIII the Early Fly.
! Government experts have made in
4 VestigatiOns which show that the
I 'swatting" OF one fly in April may
/ prevent a population of nearly six trfl-
/ lion flies in September. DR.. L o.
? Howard, chief of the United States
/ Bureau Of Entomology, has prepared
! a table Of estimates which snow ChIs
/ startling rate Of increase from a single
| over Winterlng female fly which lays
I 30 eggs on April 10 or Whereabouts.
! Dr.. Howard adds that his original
! table is made on the assumption that
I each female has laid only 80 eggs
whereas in reality she may lay four
Z patches of ten dozen eggs each. The
mating the possible September fly
population on the larger basis to read
( ers who are fond Of the multiplication
I table
Children Kill 20 Bushels of Flies.
The effect Of the anti-fly campaign
may be understood when these figures
are kept in mind and it is remem bered
/ that in one city, Worcester, Massa-
chusetts. the school children collected
1853 quarts of flies or about 40 bush
els While the methods Of offering
money prizes for catching flies were
found unsatisfactory the campaign
showed that the children who worked
| lnteIligently, and who did not adopt
unfair methods, succeeded in accom-
plishing fine results.
Boy Was Breeding Flies.
The managers of the Worcester
campaign were surprised when, they
learned that some of the children had
adopted unfair methods. The boy or
y years OF age who won first prize
mad 50 quarts Of flies to his
credit He collected eight quarts on
the last day Of the contest. His meth
DDS were looked into, and the fly cam
paign committee were startled when
they learned the facts. The boy had
been breeding flies. The campaign
was three weeks long. which is enough
time for the breeding OF about two
generations. The enterprising young
contestant operated on a large public
dump, where be piled much fish offal
and other market refuse to make an
ideal breeding place for flies He con- ]
structed large cages Of window screens /
over the piles, and all there remained
TO do was to collect the pests bret md
led by himself and numerous l-Ger
members of his family, friends and rel
atives-
The Worcester campaign and similar 4
contests In Baltimore, Washington and 4
OIner cities taught the campaigners {
that large money prizes obscure the /
real purpose Of the work, for the re-
suit is that a few children gain the I
lead and all the rest become more or +
less discouraged and do practically {
nothing. While the Fly collecting cam
pa1gns were not as effective as IL was
hoped they would be, much good was
done in stimulating interest in the
danger from the pests.
Ihls years anti-1ly campaign viii be
directed toward Kidding cities OF flies, /
district by district. Offering prizes to
trict Of city where the flies have been
practically eXterminated. This new task
may not be so difficult Of accomplish
ment as some may expect, for II means
merely a determined effort to get a
hearty cooperation Of a community in
clean wholesome homes. free from
refuse piles In the back yards, open
garbage receptacles and uneIean sta
bles.
The 1912 style OF Campaign.
In the 1912 style OF campaign. the
single home VIII be the natural unit in
the country and the block in the cities
and towns In both the country and
city, where the community is pOpu-
lated by intelligent people with an ap-
probation Of the danger Of the fly as
spreader OF filth and disease germs, It
IS expected that good naUreed rivalry
will be INDUCED in TO see which unit
VIII be first Gyless. The places which
are first made thoroughly clean and
where houses and stores are screened
and kept so for a reasonable length OF
time viii naturally be the first to be-
come flyless. because IL has been shown
that the fly breeds in filth and feeds
on the food which people eat, and az
Hrra ~ =
ease The leaders In the anti-fly move !
ment point out that there is nothing
more to the fly determination problem
than the taking away of the breeding I
places and a determined campaign OF /
starvation. which is accomplished by
screening homes, stores and stables
when possible, the places where flies
obtain their food
It will be easier to arouse interest In
the antt-fly campaigns of 1912 and fu-
ture years than il has been in the past. I
for people in all parts OF the country
nave learned Of the Investigations made 5
by scientists and health boards which
show that the fly is responsible for
the spread of many diseases. including
the dreaded typhoid fever, tuberculosis.
smallpox cereDrO-sp1nal meningitis,
wound fevers and the smaller sickness
ses of children. On the small feet of a
rly many germs Of disease have been {
found In countless miseroscopical eN-
amlnaLOns- In cases where flies have
been allowed TO feed upon the fluids !
from cases Of certain diseases. the
bodies OF the flies have been crushed 7
after five or six days and the specific ]
disease was developed when the extract ?
Of the fluid was injected into animals.
Investigations Of this kind carried on
BY the Rockefeller institute show that
almost any disease which can be car Z
ried from one human being to another ,
also may be carried by flies.
Each Person Asked TO Aid.
The definite infOrma ton about the I
Danger Of the fly as a disease carrier a
accounts for the national wide fight l
lgainst the pest and the determination
Of the people who are carrying Ii on. In C
he campaigns which viii be carried on
IN the various cities this year each
family viii be urged to cooperate IN z
he movement TO the extent of buying 8
screens and fly traps which are neces- n
iary to cover effectively it's own prem r.
SEES Prof. c. +. Hodge, Of Clark uni \
-ersity. who has been one of the lead
rs in the fight against the fly nul- P
ance thinks that the work Of Kidding /
Of flies. district by dis 4
riot. should be carried on for a definite y
period for the active campaign. and i