The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-04-20
FIGHTING THE FLY
Crusade Against the Insect That Is a
Breeder of Disease


ter sent to each club belonging to
the Vermont Federation of Women's
Clubs by Mrs Herbert r. Johnson,
chairman of Food Sanitation
To the Women's Clubs of Vermont:
The committee on public health ask
your attention to one phase of the
subject of Food Sanitation, just at
this time of the year. 1t is the fly,
and no one of us can plead Ignorance
of the harm done by this small but
vigilant nuisance.
Dr. Woods Hutchinson says;-"The
| fly is literally creature of ciyiliza-
ton and cannot exist away from hui
man homes, and outbuildings He is
a winged punishment which our own
| dirt, carelessness and neglect have
brought upon us"
This is a grave indictment, but 1t
has its cheering side. If we created
him, we can exterminate him, and
| this is precisely what modern civili-
cation is going 10 do within the next
two decades But no quiet waiting
| on our part will do this. We must
| first try to prevent his birth II by
carelessness this has been allowed,
we must kill him. Until each person
feels her own responsibility in the
matter, and our children are taught
this responsibility, we shall have
hard fight.
A picnic party has no moral right
to leave refuse, after il has lunched.
Left overs can be put into a box or
bag and kept till they can be proper
~ destroyed Travellers are at least
unkind TO throw boxes of partly eaten
lunch out by the roadside. possibly
near another's house, or on his land,
to attract flies. Fair grounds need
especial care The management may
not think to provide garbage cans and
people who would otherwise be care
full, have no place but the ground to
throw their refuse This furnishes
breeding place for flies and Is a
source of danger not only to those
living near the grounds, but in case
an epidemic comes from 1t, to a com
munity. Every woman can refuse to
buy candy, fruit or any food not pro
/ tected from flies and dust When our
/ pocket books are touched we often
"see the light"
Probably We homemakers can learn
, as much from our army surgeons in
regard to the fly as from anyone.
Many of you must know of the condi-
ton of our Vermont men who encamp
ed at Chickamauga in '9S. A bowl
partly full of sugar would quickly
fiji with flies. and piece of bread
/ had to be ridden of its burden Of flies,
gathered there on it's journey be
tween table and mouth, before II
could be relshedl You know the
result in malaria, dysentery and ty-
phoid fever. 1t is said that nearly
ten times as many men died from
these diseases in 9S as at the front.
| Against this record, place that OF a
year ago when so many soldiers were
in Texas, with so little sickness there
Also II opportunity offers, go into a
camp and see the care that Is taken
to prevent the breeding of flies, TO
keep every scrap of food out of his
reach and starve him; and TO be sure
that no typhoid germs are within his
reach Everything than can be burn
ed is burned. Large holes are dug,
with small openings left and these
covered. All greasy water is turned
into these openings. through strain
err, and last, but not least in enec'
tiveness, lime sprinkled on the near
by ground. II is surprising to see
how few flies collect When We use
this care at every point about our
homes. we shall have less flies.
Coming to practical points for
housekeepers,l let us remember not to
allow breeding places, but If our
neighbors have done that, let us
starve him off our premises 1t is
said that 50 per cent of the pests are
bred in the stable. A few hens kept
where they will scratch in manure
pile will prevent the Matching OF
flies. II would be worth while tc
keep a few hens for this alone. The
Youths Companion Of April G, 1911
had most instructive article called
"A Plan TO Rid a Community OF
Flies" by Prof. Hodge OF Clark Univ
ersity, which gave practical methods
OF fly catching From this an effec
tive plan was evolved by one house
keeper. A pail containing small
amount OF sour milk (dcar to every
1y) was set on piazza just outside
the door. A piece of wire netting
was set on this and a wire balloon
fly trap such as the past generations
used found balted (also with sour
milk, and set over the pail Unless
there we're many flies in the house
this might prove disappointing. but
used outside the door II caught many
that would have come in. The per.
sonal application OF a fly spatter pro.
we'd a sure way OF disposlng OF any
that got by the trap
| A special bulletin OF the Fly-hght.
Ing committee OF the American Civic
association can be had by sending TO
this committee at Washington. d. G.
In this are given several different
methods Of killing flies. Whatever
the method, the one important thing,
after prevention, is TO be sure they
are killed