The Elbert County tribune., 1913-05-16

have been traced in many directly into sick
rooms as well as to markets and fruit stalls
where foodstuffs were displayed, without being
screened. By such means this flies were
traced during outbreak of typhoid fever in
Plattsburgh, N. Y. The local authorities thought
that drinking water milk some like sup
ply 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 moving
picture show attended by large audience. and
he traced the flies they went from the NOV
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
Hest enemies 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 hyless city.
Last year experiments undertaken In
number OF places to exterminate flies. Newspa-
pers of Worcester, Mass. offered money prizes
for the largest quantity of files caught. and the
results were astonishing One enterprising lad OF
twelve years won the first prize OF 800 when he
delivered ninety-hve quarts OF flies. But 1t was
found out later that In order to succeed he had
actually gone into the business of breeding files
In heaps Of fish offal. Altogether the city OF
Worcester caught and killed forty bushels OF
flies In a few weeks. For obvious reasons those
interested in fly determination are not offering
prizes In the way this year for dead flies.
In good many communities prizes are offered
for hyless blocks of houses for farms or barns
that have flies or in them
Organizations like the Womans Municipal
League of Boston paying for steropticon lee
lures delivered before all sorts of audiences.
and getting Boy Scouts, District Nursing as
sociations school children and others at work
in the effort One of the scientists most actively
interested is G. F. Hodge professor of biology
at Clark university. who has accomplished re-
markable results by screening houses to keep
flies 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 design millions OF young
flies before they can get to kitchen. diningroom
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 expense. and
there had made microscopic photographs of flies
and their dangerous activities from which NOV
ing picture film constructed The film, shown
all over the country, is believed to have done
more than any other 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 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 fol
lows:
20 Can a 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
FL Do flies carry sickness and death to many
people in the United Statesf
There are nearly five hundred thousand cases
of typhoid fever yearly In the United States, and
nearly 10000 deaths Much of this distributed
by flies. Fortynine thousand Infants die an
nually of entertis or summer complaint, the
germs Of which are probably all carried to the
milk by flies. Flies known to be the
most deadly enemy of man. They kill more pso