Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-06-30
Topeka Fly Hunters Are NoU
Finding Their Game Very Scarce
Topeka state JournalD

/ source of supply by the campaign Of
the previous year For more than two
months the offer of 10 cents a quart
remained open and during that time
only "a quarters of flies were captur-
ed Flies were so scarce that the
bounty was discontinued.
But in September Of the same year in
answer to n challenge that there were
still flies in Topeka, bounty was
again offered and this time it was in
creased To / 8 cents quart Only sew
en- quarts were made up by persons
who had failed to capture a quart
alone. They combined their catches
to make the seven quarts. This ended
the campaign for 1914.
In order to catch the early flies a
bounty Of 81 a quart for all flies cap
tured during the month of May was
offered During the month of June
the city paid 50 cents n quart for flies.
Little has been paid out in bounties
So far.
Prices Still Going Up.
The success of Topeka's fly cam
paign is well indicated in the increases
made in the bounties. The city is
now paying as much for one quart Of
flies as it paid for eight quarts two
years ago Notwithstanding this in
crease in rewards the number of flies
captured fell from 14S quarts in 1913
to Al quarts in 1914, and only / quart
in 1915 up TO June 2.
Flies are a hobby with j. A. Ram
sey, city sanitary sergeant What he
does not know about flies is not much
and he expects to learn that.
No one but Ramsey ever would take
the time 80 count the number of flies
in a quart measure. But Ramsey did
It. He spent 10 evenings at the task
and announced that 1854 flies are
required to fill a quart measure.
Files DO Not Travel.
Ramsey states that flies rarely
travel more than 500 feet from their
place of origin and on this belief he
bases his declaration that it is not only
possible for city to rid itself of
flies. but that II is also
possible for city block to be kept
free from flies regardless of its sur
roundings Along the same line of
reasoning, he argues that in a very
large measure the persons living in
city block are responsible for the flies
in that block
The house fly, or human fly has
proboscis with the flat sucker, which
he places over his food Unlike the
bluebottle fly, he is not choice in his
food, but relishes everything, whether
sweet and wholesome or decayihg Or
decomposed, This makes him a very
dangerous creature. He goes from
the swlll barrel TO baby's bottle, from
the pig sty TO the pie counter, from
garbage can to ginger bread, from
cesspool to custard pie, and from the
earrion to the cupboard
Carries Disease Germs.
'lle carries disease germs upon his
filthy feet and wipe on our food
where we must surely IKE them into
the body. lie Is no )ecter of per-
sons and infeets the ich and poor
alike if admitted to tie kitchen. This
fly breeds rapidly in oesspools, gar
bage and manure heaps and every
where that vegetable or animal matter
Is exposed to warmth and dampness
single fly will lay from 100 Ia 500
eggs, the larvae Matching in "a hours
and becoming full grown flies in less
than ! o days.
This is the insect against which
war has been waged in Topeka for the
last two years. What Topeka has
done in eXterminating the fly other
cities may do. 1t is not claimed that
Topeka is yet a flyless city. Perhaps
no city ever will be. Eternal vigil
lance is the price of liberty"-from
flies. Topeka has fewer flies than any
city in the west today. She may re-
lax her vigilance and again become in
tested"