The Southern herald., 1913-06-06

have been traced in many cases directly into sick
rooms, as well as to markets and fruit stalls
where foodstufs were displayed without being
screened. BY such means as this flies were
traced during an outbreak Of typhoid fever in
Plattsburgh N. Y. The local authorities thought
that drinking water milk or some like sup
ply was infected, but an investigator from New
YORK went to the Saranac river into which the
sewage Of Plattsburgh was carried and from
there he traced flies they went into a moving
picture show attended by a large audience and
ne traced the flies as they went from the "moy.
les back to the river.
Countless instances of the spread of various
diseases have been recorded all over the country
and as result instead of being regarded merely
as harmless, though annoying little pest the
house fly is today considered one of the dead.
liest enemies man has to contend with Far
more dangerous than war, for the fly is every
Where every summer excepting in enlightened
communities, like Cleveland, Ohio which is rap.
idly becoming pretty nearly a lyless city.
Last year experiments were undertaken in
number of places to exterminate flies. Newspa.
pers of Worcester. Mass. offered money prizes
for the largest quantity of flies caught, and the
results were astonishing. One enterprising lad Of
twelve years won the first prize of 800 when he
delivered ninety.fve quarts of flies But It was
found out later that in order to succeed he had
actually gone into the business Of breeding flies
In heaps of fish offal Altogether the city OF
Worcester caught and killed forty bushels of
flies In few weeks. For obvious reasons those
interested in fly determination are not offering
prizes In the same way this year for dead flies.
In good many communities prizes are offered
for fyless blocks Of houses or for farms or barns
that have no flies on or in them
Organizations like the Woman's MunicinaI
League Of Boston are paying for steropticon lee.
lures delivered before all sorts of audiences
and are getting Boy Scouts District Nursing as.
sociations, school children, and others at work
In the effort One Of the scientists most actively
interested is c. F. Hodge, professor of biology
at Clark university, who has ACCOMPLISHED re-
markable results by screening houses to keen
flies on the outside, by killing winter flies when
they awake IN early spring and crawl out of
cracks picture holdings and other dark places
where they spend the cold weather and by catch
Ing in traps of his own design millions of yoi,ng
flies before they can get to kitchen. dining.roon
or restaurant.
One of the most effective steps taken in the
campaign Of education is due to Mr. Hatch who
sent man to London, at his own expense and
there had made microscopic photographs of flies
and their dangerous activities from which a NOV.
ing picture film was constructed, The Rlm shown
all over the country is believed to have done
more than any other one thing to bring millions
of people to realize how great is the danger from
flies, and how necessary TO remove It.
One of the most ingenious methods for teach.
ing children facts regarding flies is seen IN A
small pamphlet prepared by Jean Dawson of the
Cleveland Normal school, who has adopted the
question and answer plan of instruction After
explaining. in this way, why flies are dangerous
how they spread disease, where they spend the
winter and what they do in spring the little book
tells about their breeding, their food, and how
they carry dirt as well as disease
The closing questions and answers are as fol-
lows:
TO- Can family escape the dangers from flies
by screening them out Of the house?
No, not If they use food over which flies have
swarmed or fallen into.
2l Do flies carry sickness and death to MANY
people in the United States?
There are nearly five hundred thousand caseo
'f typhoid fever yearly in the United States and
nearly $4,000 deaths. Much Of this distributad
by flies Forty-nine thousand infants die an.
lualy Of entertis or summer complaint tba
yerms Of which are probably all carried IN tho
milk by flies. Flies are now known to he Tho
most deadly enemy Of man. They kill more peo