The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-07-23
SIMPLE REMEDY
Will KILL FLY
Ordinary Borax viii Prevent Breed
ing of the Pest

Washington. ID. c., July Gas re-
suit of experiments. the specialists Of
the Department of Agriculture have
discovered that a small amount of
ordinary boraX sprinkled daily on
manure will effectively prevent the
breeding of the typhoid or house fly.
Similarly. the same substance applied
To garbage. refuse, open toilets, damp
floors and crcvices in stables, cellars
or markets, win prevent ny G IS from
Matching. GoraN will not XIII the adult
ny nor prevent it from laying eggs.
but it's thorough use win prevent any
further breeding.
Discovery an Important Ono.
The investigation, which included
experiments with many substances,
was undertaken to discover some
means Of preventing the breeding of
flies in horse manure without lessen
ing the value of this manure as fer
tilizer for use by the farmer II was
felt that if some means of preventing
the breeding Of flies near a human
hahitation could be devised, the dis
eases spread by these filthy germ ear
rlers could be greatly reduced. While
the swat the fly campaign traps
ana other devices for reducing the
number of typhoid-carrying flies are
of value. they are of less Importance
than tie prevention of the breeding.
It was realized. however. that no
measure for preventing the breeding
Of flies would come into common use
unless il was such that the farmer
could use it on his manure pile with
out destroying its usefulness for grow
ing plants. and with Introducing into
the soil any substance that would in
tcrfcre with his crops.
Chemical Kills Eggs.
AS n result Of experiments carried
on at the Arlington Farm, i'm Virginia,
and New orleans. La, the invcstiga-
tors found that O,62 of a pound of bor-
AK, or O.75 Of pound of calcined cole
mantle (crude calcium borate) would
kill the maggots and prevent practical
~ all of the flies ordinarily breeding
in eight bushels of horse manure from
developing. This was proved by plac-
ins manure in cages and comparing
the results from piles treated with
boraX and from untreated piles. The
borax, it was found, killed the fly eggs
and maggots in the manure and pre-
vented their growth into flies
In the case Of garbage cans or re-
fuse piles, , ounces of boraX or cal
cined colemanite, costing from > cents
a pound upward according to the
quantity which is purchased, will eff
feCtually prevent flies from breeding.
Will Aid Health Officers.
1t is believed that this information
will grSatly help the health authorities
i'm their campaign against the typhoid
ny The health authorities have long
tried To prevent the breeding of flies
in city stables through the use of iron
sulphatc as a larvacide. In the case
Of iron sulphate, however, II large
amount is required, and other insecti-
cides such as paris green or potassium
cyanide, while effective in killing the
flies, are very expensive or extremely
poisonous. BoraX, which is used free
ly in most households. and is readily
available in all parts of the country,
has the advantage of being compare
lively poisonous and on-infam-
mable, readily soluble i'm water and
easy To handle. II can he purchased at
retail for 10 cents a pound and a sin
gle pound used as directed in gar
bagc pail or open toilet may prevent
the breeding of hundreds of dangerous
flies
The details of the experiments with
boraX and other larvacidcs will be
found in L. $. Department Of Agricul-
ture Bulletin, No. us.