The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-08-09


over the manure will destroy the lar
vac which are Matched from the eggs.
Since powdered hellebore is readily
obtainable, this puts in the hands of
every one remedy !or one of the
pests that has been found dangerous
as well as troublesome. Powdered
hellebore, however, will not kill
adult flies, which must re swatted
or trapped
'lt has long been know: that flies
breed in manure, but previous meth
DDS Of destroying the larvae there by
the use Of strong chemicals have been
open to the objection that the treat
ment under some conditions lesscned
the 1ertilzing value of the manure
or actually injured vegetation This
is not true of powdered helcbore.
Government experiments have shown
that the hellebore is entirely decom-
posed IN the course of tEe fermenta-
ton of the manure and that even in
excessive quantities it does no harm
except to the larvae it is intended
to destroy Chickens picking in ma
nuro treated with it suffer no i'll et-
fects.
"Onehalf pound OF powdered helle-
bore mixed with 10 gallons of water
is sufficient to kill the larvae in s
bushels, or 10 cubic feet of manure.
The mixture should be spriukled care
fully over the pile, especial atten-
ton being paid to the outer edges.
In most places hellebOre is obtainable
in 1O0-pound lots at cost Uf II cents
a pound This makes the cost CT the
treatment a little less than seven
tenths of cent per bushel of ma
nure A liberal estimate OF the out
put Of manure is two bushels day
per horse. The money involved is,
therefore trinling in comparison with
the benefits to the individual and
the community from the practical
elimination of the disea~e-breeding
fly.
although fresh manure is the fav-
orite breeding spot, flies lay their
eggs in other places as wei, such as
outhouses, refuse piles, etc. In
these places, from which no manure
is taken to spread on tn fields. con
siderable saving may be effected
through the substitution Of boraX for
powdered hellebore. Applied at the
rate of O62 pounds per bushels of
manure boraX is as effective as pow
dered helebore in killing tie larvae,
but costs less than half a cert for
each bushel of manure treated, In
larger quantities, however. or when
the manure itself is spread at a
greater rate than 10 tons to the acre
some damage to crops may result
Lareg quantities of manure are often
used by market gardeners and others,
and there is always danger Of care
lessness in applying the boraX The
use of the more expensive but safer
hellebore is therefore re commended
| for the treatment of manure. RoraX
is recommended for all other refuse
in which flies may lay eggs.
Scientists who have been working
for years to eliminate the fly are
convinced that the use Of enc or the
other of these simple maNures is a
public duty wherever ma"u:2 and re-
use exist SanitarianS, however,
strongly advise the remOgal Of re
fuse heaps or other unnecessary rub
bish or breeding places for dies. In
breeding places which cannot be thus
disposed of-such as mamie or sta
| bes-the daily use of powdered helle-
bore will keep the flies from breeding
in these favorite breeding grounds.
The best results are obtainable in a
community where everyone cleans up
his premises, traps or kills the flies,
and Systematically treats the manure
and other breeding places with pow
dered hellebore.
The fly is no. only a nuisance to
human beings and live stock; it
spreads disease and filth and is a
menace to public health which cannot
be tolerated in the face Of a dem
onstrated remedy. Details of the ex-
periments with other information on
the subject are contained in a pro'es-
sional paper, Bulletin 245 of the Uni
ted States department of agriculture