The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-07-12
MINATE-THE-FLY
CAMPAIGN FUND
Powdered Hellebore a Simple and Ell
fective Means of Destroying the
Dangerous Pest in Its Fa-
vorite Breeding Place.

Oh puDiicity snOulu ne employeu u urge
by the department of agriculture. In
new farmers bulletin, No. $40, it is stat
ed that the danger from the house H.
must be brought more forcibly home :
the people before health officers can d
effective work. BY the expenditure Q
sufficient pains, any one individual ma,
prevent flies breeding on his premises
but this will not rid him of the DANCE
from flies ii his neighbors are careless
There is, however, no excuse at TIN
present time for permitting flies to breet
in anything like the numbers in whicl
they have done in the past The vas
majority of flies develop from eggs which
are laid in horse manure, and there arr
two simple ways of destroying the lar
vac, as the young insects or maggots
which hatch from the eggs are called
Sprinkling the manure heap with solu
tion prepared by adding one-half pound
of powdered hellebore to 10 gallons Of
water will destroy, according to receht
Experiments, from So to 90 per cent. OF
the larvae in the manure. If this is not
done, the use of simple maggot trap
will prove equally effective. BY expert
ments carried on by the bureau of en-
tomology of the U. S. department of ag-
riculture at the Maryland Agricultural
college, it was found that the trap used
there destroyed fully 90 per cent. of all
the maggots or larvae breeding in Civ
en- lot of manure.
Such trap is simplicity itself, con-
sisting merely OF Slated platform
standing about one foot high upon a con
crete floor which is surrounded by a rim
OF wall of concrete four inches high.
The floor slopes little toward one cor
ner in order to allow liquid from the
manure to be drained off into a small
cstern. Ordinarily, however, this drain
is plugged with stopper and the con-
crete floor filled with water to a depth
a one inch in the shallowest part Each
morning the manure is removed from
the stable and heaped upon the platform.
The flies lay their eggs on it as usual
and the larvae hatch as usual The lar
vac, however. when Tout to enter the
pupal or resting stage preliminary to
emerging as adult flies, invariably en-
deavor to migrate. crawling about in
search of suitably dry spot in which
to enter into pupation. In the maggot
trap, therefore, as soon as the larvae
attempt to leave the manure on which
tiey have been feeding, they fall through
the openings in the Slated platform
into the water below and are drowned.
Each week the drain should be opened
and the dead maggots washed from the
floor of the trap into the eistern nearby. |
A platform l0x20 feet in size will hold |
the manure from four horses during a
period of four months. or from % horses |
for about 20 days. The Stats should be
one inch strips with one half to one-inch |
spaces between them.
Experience with maggot traps has
brought out the fact that these are most |
effective when the manure is kept com
pactly heaped and well moistened. This
10 due TO the larrae's desire to find a |
dry place in which TO pu
pate and, consequently, they crawl away
from wet manure. Wherever possible.
therefore, il is advantageous to preserve
III the liquid manure both in order to
noisten the pile and because of its own
value. In the second place,
he platform should stand not less than
me foot above the concrete floor in or.
Ter that the floor may be more easily
leaned. A third point is that old
manure does not attract flies for breed
ng. A lot of manure need remain on
he maggot trap but 10 DAYS in order |,
o prevent any breeding taking place in
The maggot trap thus presents the
reat advantages Of being easily con.
tructed and cheap. That il is effective,
he experiments at the Maryland Agri
ultural college have conclusively shown.
here ID was found that il destroyed 20 !
er cent. Of the larvae breeding in the !
manure and that the number Of flies
round the college kitchen was reduced
v between 81 and IS per cent. That
he reduction in the number Of flies was !,
ot equal 90 the percentage of larvae !,
estroyed was due 90 the fact that there :
ere other piles Of untreated manure !,
sewhere in the vicinity and that flies =
red in these. Such traps NAV be built '
almost any sire and they appear 10 4
, especially well adapted for controlling :
'e pest under ordinary country condi- :
ons. u
In cities and towns il Is probable that =
r. treatment Of manure with hellebore y
10 usually BE- found more advantage y
-. Ten gallons Of the solution al. :.
adv described. composed Of one halt !,
'und Of powdered hellebore 10 10 gal. :,
ne Of water and allowed 20 stand "A y
Iurs. vii be- sufficient for the treat
ent Of eight bushels or 10 cubic feet :,
manure A weaker solution than this y
not 80 effective. The heilebore does
4 alter the composition Of the manure
any way and does not cause any in
~ 20 crops on which the latter u
iced. IN fact. the ouiv possible way m
which il can Do any injury upon the M
nm u II left uncovered in place where en-
me II the farm animals may drink 70
im q The most ordiusrw eere. how =
~. is rpficient - prevent such an se-
Isut The oosi ~ the treatment. With
.iehors selling from ~ a. rs cents
and snf In large lots for % cents n r
q. IL estimated &c 3 little over one
u fof every tvo hushals
Bortr is perhaps Zen mere effective
ths knlnr ~ isrtae thsn hsfirhrre II
! horsn has ths dfssdtautars 81 e.
inr IN larrr uunntitias Hn injurious
~ urs1r riarts n u r.assltlr thrt
rmrt trratad wfh suHbeiert hnran ~
srrv fhs isrras su8 then arpiisa n
rts ~ q rrsatrr rste shau o. tnrs
! are nlsr wu-k hnrru - erTtsin
~ where hrrsr = ussS faF ~ pre-