The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1914-09-09
B0RAx AND HOUSEFLIES.
A M-thod For Preventing Flies From
5reeurg IN tl5rse Manure.

Nrt''''4 ~ ~ - UNIV
Prepared by United suites department oi
agriculture
As q result 10 experiments the spe
cialists ot the department Of agricul.
ture have discovered that small
amount of ordinary bornx Sprinkled
daily on manure will effectively pre-.
vent the breeding of the typhoid or
houschy. similarly the same substance
applied - garbage. r'fusc. open toilets.
damp llurrS aud crpyicrs in stables.
cellars or markets will prevent fly eggs
from Matching. Rornx viii not kill the
adult hy nor prevent 1t from laying
eggs, but its thorough use will prevent
any further breeding
The investigation. which included ex
periments with many substances. YVES
undertaken to discover some means CT
preventing The breeding Of ilics In
horse manure without lrSsening the
value Of this manure rs n fertilizer for
Use by the farmer II was felt that IL
some means of preventing the breeding
Of tieS near n human habitation could
be devised the diseases spread 10y these
tilthy germ carriers could he greatly
reduced. While the swat the tiy cam
paign." traps and other devices for re-
ducing the number Of typhoid CARRYING
1ieS are Vt value. they are If less i'm.
portancr than the prevention of the
breeding II was realized. however.
that no measure for preventing the
breeding pf flies would come into com
mon Use unless u was such that the
farmer could Use IL on his manure pile
without destroying its usefulness for
growing plants and without introduc-
ing into the soil any substance that
would Interfere with his crops.
As result ut experiments carried
on ut the Arlington farm in Virginia
and New Orleans. La, the inveStiga-
tors found that 062 of a pound of
borax or 0I5 Of pound of calcined
colemanite crude calcium borate)
would kill the maggots aud prevent
practically all Of the flies ordinarily
breeding in eight bushels of horse ma
nure from developing. This was prov
I'll by placing manure in cages and
comparing the results from piles treat.
Ell with borax AMI from untrratel
piles. Tn, borix. it was found. killed
the fly eggs and maggotS in the ma
nure and prevented their growth into
flies.
In the cls., of garbage cans or refuse
piles. two ounces Of borax or calcined
colemanitr, costing from ) cents IA
pound upward, according tn the guam
tity which IS purchased, will effrctr
ally prevent n;eS from breeding
In feeding 70 hogs garbage that con.
tains borly care is also recommended.
when the animals are being
Cor market. BoraX Is not u
very ppSDuurs substance. and the
feeding of glrblgH that contains it to
hogs is not likely To be n serious mat
ter. ON the other hand. bnraX in large
quantities does produce gastric lis
turb1nrr>. H'l tor this rrlSpn Il cert in
amount OF cllr IN advisable.
The methnl Cor using this substance
IA the case NJ stables is to sprinkle
lie boraX or cOlnmInitr In the quaint |
les given above by means Of tlOur |
sitter or other fine sieve around the
outer edges of the pile of horse ma
lurc The manure should then he
'prinliled Immediately with two or
hrce galous at water To eight bushels
IT manure. IL is essential, however. to
prin<le little ot the borlX on the ma
lIre rs it IL added daily Ia the pile
Instead Of waiting until full pile is
obtained, because this will prevent the
gigs which the flies lay on fresh ma
lrre from hutching. AS the lily mag
cots congregate at the outer edge ~
he manure pile most of the boraX
hGud he sprinkIr,l there.