The Ely miner., 1913-08-29


one does his or her share the cost
will be trifling and all difficulties
soon overcome. This is the key
note to all sanitary success-gener-
al cooperation.
Fly-reduction requires organiza-
tion-it must be kept up regularly
throughout the town. This is not
very difficult matter in urban
districts. But in rural districts
such organization is not so easy.
The inhabitants of villages consist
ing of scattered houses, farms, and
laborer's cottages are less capable
of concerted action. There is often
only one sanitary inspector. whose
duties are spread over large area,
and he is one of many similar Of
icials under one county medical
officer of health. Here private en-
terprise is of great service. If one
landlord interests himself in the
saving of childlife he can do a
great deal in assisting the local
authority. Let him convene a
meeting of his neighbors. They
can foriu themselves into an anti
fly association, and they can soon
obtain the necessary ly-reduction
in the parish by influencing their
tenants among the parishoners:
An important landlord can even
use pressure to make the farmers
careful in the disposal of manure,
can even insist on stables being
regularly cleaned, and the house
refuse being burned periodically
Manure used for agricultural pur-
poses hardors great numbers of fly
larvae. But this is only dangerous
when such manure is stacked in
garden corners or in the farmyards
for more than twelve consecutive
days. Such manure should be
completely covered up with a thin
layer of earth or sand. But it
must be complstely covered or the
fly -grubs will thrive. 1t is better
to dig such manure directly into
the ground if possible and not to
allow it to rest for more than a
week exposed near the houses; flies
do not breed in we'll titled fields
and burrows. A little paraffin
thrown over a manure-heap does
no harm to its properties; and il
done in the morning and allowed
to dry in the air it is not dangerous
for paraffin quickly loses its in
fammable qualities when exposed
to the air. A rural district will
soon find it's flies reduced in mum
bers if the dictum goes forth-all
manure must be disposed of regu.
larly once a week.
One hot summers afternoon
about twenty years ago, two stu
dents were roaming about the fields
in the north of London. During
the course of their rambles, they
saw village in the distance, and
they, being tired, walked towards
it in search of refreshment. II
was the village of Edgware, which
in those days consisted of a street
of shops, one inn, and SOME scat
tered private houses. They enter.
ed the inn coffee room and began
meal of tea, bread -and-butter
strawberry jam and cream-a de.
lightful repast peculiar to England
Then came the flies; they also were
interested in this English repast,
and they were soon fascinated by
its beauties. The flies came in
their tens. their hundreds, their
thousands, and they ate up the
strrwberry-jam, and they inspected
the cream, and many had ecstatic
but ratal baths in the milk-jug
The students had no place and they
had no tea-the flies took it all.
Then ensued a discussion between
the students and mine host of the
hosted as to who should pay for the
repast. The latter said that the
students had ordered the repast
and must pay, while the students
maintained that the flies had taken
their food. 1t ended in a compro,
mise-the students paid half, the
rest was put down to the flies
account. The hotel keeper re-
marked that he did not know
where the insects came from, but
that if he did. Had he looked
at his own stable yard he would
have seen multitudes of fy-grubs
crawling about smelling manure
stack which had grown in size
steadily for several months by the
addition of daily accumulations
But the flies drove the students
from Edgware.
IF the people would realize what
damage to health, what misery
and what a pest these disagreeable
insects are there would be soon few
left. 1t is so easy TO fight them
SO long as the fight is carried out
perseveringly and with general
organization. 1t is necessary tc
institute an anti-fly campaign
wherever the insects abound. Blu,
it is a mistake to delay such insti-
tuition until the flies arrive. Fol
then they will do their damage first
ard be controlled afterwards wher
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