The Washington herald., 1913-08-24
Cleveland Is a City Without Flies
Head En- Off" Campaign in Early Spring Better
Than swat the Fly" in the
Summer Time

in the hands OF every child in the schools
on Cleveland and thence carried into the
hcmes.
The striking fact about all this cam
paign was that il was waged not during
the fly season, but before it, During a
clustering March and "A wild, weeping
April. while flies were as scarce as straw
hats, the battle was at its height. II
was directed against the winter fies'-
the few which had survived the cold
season and would soon begin laying
eggs
The reason for these tactics was set
forth in fly catechism' issued by Miss
Dawson. One question and its answer
read:
"'How many flies. may breed from
pair in spring.
Allowing six patches of eggs, of 10
each, suppOsing all to live and find filth
to breed IN. the number would be
lg1 OlO, ,OOO 600 OO0. 600 900. enough to bury the
entire earth forty-seven feet deep. Why
not kill the fly in the winter or early
spring.
Even IL the actual progeny of a fiy
does not nearly approach the possibil-
tiles, il is apparent that the killing Of
one sluggish winter fly means the pre-
ventiOn of thousands of summer-infest-
ing insects
An enterprising ice cream company
contributed 10000 ''swatters'' and all Of
the school children of the city, whether
they We're members of the Junior sani-
tary police" or not, were armed. \
bounty Of 10 cents a hundred was offered
for all flies brought to Miss Dawson's
office at City Hail. The campaign was
financed by popular subscription. At first
there was complaint that no flies could
be found, but sharp eyes soon sought
them out in attic windows, barn lofts.
and odd, out-Of-the-way corners, and
they began to pour in at headquarters
At the rate Of 1OO0J day.
Clergymen were urged to preach "1y
sermons and many responded. A pic
ture film. THE Life Of the Fly" was
used to good effect in many churches
and theaters. In addition to Head EN-
on and Swat the Fly" a triple slogan
ran Clean Your Yard-Make a Garden
Swat the Fly" and in many a back
yard gardens began to blossom where
fy-breeding rubbish heaps had been.
When the winter campaign closed MAY
Is 49o.S5 flies had been accepted and
paid for-and this before the beginning
of the season" and in city which had
suffered very little annoyance from flies
during the preceding summer. thanks to
the anti-fy campaign then in progress.
You have brought about a famine in
flies Iamented one man who had six
chameleons to feed. My pets are starv-
ing. There are no flies to be had about
my house and my neighbors can't seem
to help me out" Ill pay and pay well
for every live fly your children car
bring me" And he did.
one of the best fruits Of the move
ment has been a public demand for fly.
free stores Merchants have made quick
to sense the demand. Recently 100 Nor
NAL School girls inspected 511 grocery
stores, confectionaries. meat stores, res
taurants. and milk depots. They re-
ported that in 60 per cent of the stores
not a solitary fly could be found. and
in only IS per cent were flies at all
numerous,
The early spring head 'em or CAM
paign is remarkable success. Over 100
towns and cities have written for infor-
nation concerning the methods used in
Cleveland. The coming year will doubt
less see the plan in operation in many
The more commonly it
is adopted. the worse luck to Mr.. Fly
and all the diseases of which he Is the
herald.