The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1915-08-12
acient for the treatment Of eight bush.

weaker solution than this Is not sc
effective. The hellebore does not alter
the composition of the manure in any
way and does not cause any injury to
crops on which the latter is placed
In fact, the only possible way in which
it can do any injury upon the farm is
! in case the barrel or tank in which the
| solution is stored is left uncovered in
| place where some of the farm animals
may drink it. The most ordinary care,
| however, is sufficient to prevent such
an accident. The cost of the treat.
ment, with hellebore selling from II
to 16 cents a pound and in large lots
| for 10 cents or less, is estimated at a
little over l cent for every two BUSH
els. N....
| Borax is perhaps even more effective
in the killing of the larvae than helle-
bore, but borax has the disadvantage
Of exerting in large Quantities an in
furious effect upon plants. 1t is pos
sible that manure treated with suf-
fcient borax to destroy the larvae
and then applied to plants at great
er rate than fifteen tons per acre may
work harm to certain crops. Where
borax is used for the prevention of
flies, therefore, no more than one
pound should be employed for every
sixteen cubic feet of manure and this
manure should not be used at a great.
er rate than fifteen IONS to the acre.
This objection to borax, of course,
does not apply to it's use on the
ground of stables with soil floors, in
privies and refuse piles and on other
accumulations of decaying materials in
which flies may lay their eggs.
While the use of maggot traps and
the treatment of manure with helle
bore or borax are most effective in re-
ducing the number of flies, it is not
likely that they will actually exter-
inmate the pests in any neighborhood.
The precaution of screening windows
and doors and in particular the pro-
tecting of all articles of food with fly
proof screens is, therefore, urgently
recommended by the department of
agriculture. Screening, of course, has
no effect upon the number of flies, but
it does minimize the danger of infec-
ton. Comparatively few people real
ize how admirably adapted from it's
structure and habits the fly is to carry
disease. The body of the house fly,
and especially the legs, are thickly
covered with hairs and bristles. AS
the fly crawls about over the decay
ing organic matter on which it likes to
feed, these hairs readily pick up dis
ease germs and carry them to the hui
man foods which the fly subsequently
visits. The fly is continually passing
from piles of refuse and filth to kitch-
ems and dining rooms and in each one
of these it can with the greatest ease
bring with it the germs of any intes-
final disease. Typhoid, Asiatic chol-
era, dysentery and infantile diarrhoea
are among the diseases which are
known to be transmitted in this way
and there is very strong evidence that
tuberculosis, anthrax, opthalmia, small
pox and other diseases are carried
through the same medium. 1t has also
been demonstrated that not only are
disease germs carried in this mechan-
ical way upon the legs and body of
the fly, but that these germs flourish
abundantly within the fly itself and
that they can be deposited by the fly
upon human beings or upon human
foods.
The danger from the fly is greatly
increased by the extraordinary rapid
,, ity with which the insect multiplies.
The common house fly includes per-
haps SO or SO per cent of all the flies
ordinarily to be found in and around
I. dwellings.A single female lays eggs at
least two, and possibly four, times in
the course of it's life and averages
probably 120 eggs on each occasion.
These eggs usually hatch in less than
"a hours. Indeed, under favorable
conditions, maggots may issue from
, them in eight. hours. These maggots
grow rapidly, melting for the first
time within day after they are hatch
ed. A day later they molt second
time, and two or three days after
wards enter the stage of pupation.
i Thus, the total length of their life as
larvae ranges from four ia five days,
/, but this period may be greatly pro-
longed by low temperature or 10y scar.
city of food. The pupal, or resting
stage lasts from three to ten days, al
though during Information it may be
prolonged to as long as from four to
five months. Altogether, it appears
that between the time the eggs are