Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-27
ut in every stable, and a shovelful

kept in every stable, and shovelful
spread over the refuse each time 1t Is
dumped into the receptacle. Equally as
efficacious is solution of iron sulphate
(green vitrioD sprayed over the manure,
and it possesses the added advantage of
acting as a deodOriZer. Two pounds dis
solved in a gallon of water is required
for each horse per day. Neither OF these
chemicals interferes with the fertiltzing
properties of the manure. Manure should
be removed from the receptacles OF sta
bles at least once per week during the
summer and autumn months. and once
every nine days during the other months
of the year, which Is less than the num-
her of days required by the fly to COM
pIete its life cycle from egg to-. free
moval should be tightly covered.
Public dumps should be eliminated as
speedily as possible and covered with sod
as soon as dumping operations are CON-
pleted. Slaughter houses have no proper
place in the twentieth century city. and
should be only unpleasant memories to
the modern urban dwelier.
Other Precautions.
Garbage cans should be water-tight
metal receptacles with closely fitting lids,
ohat should be kept in place at all times.
They should be frequently empted, and
scalded with boiling water, followed by
some strong disinfectant. The stable flies
which became a plague in northern Texas
in 1912 bred in straw which had been
spread over the fields and wet. by rain.
This would have been avoided II the
straw had been burned, plowed under
the soil or formed into tight stacks with
vertical sides, rounded on the top to shed
rain.
''Our most effective and practical sin
gle measure against the transference of
fp.fA a.,
bacteria) by flies is adequate screening.
Screens are of numerous varieties. manu-
featured and homemade, with metal
frames and wooden frames, plain and
decorated, as with landscapes. When one
can afford it. it is well to have double
screens; and this applies particularly to
front doors that are opened frequently.
II there Is a vestibule a few flies will
penetrate within the outer screen door,
but never pass the second inner one.
vented a window screen that catches
those flies In the house mat alight on it,
and. reversed, catches those that en-
deavOr to enter at night. The wire net
ting on screens rusts and the meshes be-
come larger as time elapses. SO 1t should
be carefully inspected, patched and re-
painted at the beginning OF each fly sea-
son. Proper screening Of all buildings
during the summer and autumn months
should be obligatory by law. Al food
fully screened. 1t is a common thing as
one passes through a market to be un-
able to see the meats exposed for sale
on account of the covering sWarms Of
one merchant was observed between sales
killing them with his butter knife. His
intentions were good, but methods OF
technique faulty.
Screens Essential.
Screens should form as essential parts
Of house as blinds or shutters, and
probably serve much more useful pur-
pose. The initial cost Of screens is low
enough to be within the means Of every
one. Ordinary mosquito netting tackled
around the outside Of windows forms a
useful substitute for the more durable
screens. Infants should be protected from
nies by canopies Of mosquito netting and
should not be compelled to share the con-
tents of the nursing bottle with flies.
I'VE may reduce the ingress Of flies
to a house to a minimum. but few are
found to get In when doors are opened,
or crawl in at the tops or sides of the
screens. Flies are attracted by light and
therefore endeavor to enter lighted
houses as night approaches. They also
exert themselves to enter building
preceding and during a fall of rain
Therefore, In addition to screening, we
must rely on auxiliary measures, as the
use Of fans, traps, fly swatters, poisons,
sticky paper or tanelefoot. screen covers
for dishes of food and fumigation.
Poison for Flies.
"A useful fly poison is prepared as
follows: Two tablespoonfuls of formalin
are mixed with a pint of equal parts OF
milk and water. This is poured into
saucers and q piece Of bread placed as
an island in the center for flies to alight
upon The flies are attracted to the
solution, poisoned, and the formalin pos
sesses also disinfectant properties as II
evaporates For the rapid destruction
of hes within houses the most useful
procedure is to burn pyrethrum powder
persian insect POWDER. All doors and
windows must be tightly closed, and
after the powder is burned the flies
must be swept from the floor and burn
ed, as some may be stunned but not
killed by the fumes.
1.-THE fly has many natural enemies
besides man, conspicuous among which
are turtles, frogs, toads; many insecti-
vOrous birds, as swallows, bats; numer-
GUS four-winged insects, az the gall
makers, the common wasp, robber flies
or asilidae, ground beetles, rover beetles
and various mites. The two most I'm
portant enemies of the fly are q parasitic
fungus, Empusa muscae, and the cheli-
fer or false scorpion. Empusa causes q
fatal disezsa among flies accomoa nj al