The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-06-24
stat TIL fly IS
GOOD WAR CRY.
But Still a Better Slogan Is
Swat the Eggs OF the
Fly.

Swat the fly" is a good wal cry;
but II Is like locking the stable after
the horse Is stolen. There is a better
one4Swat the eggs" Probably
every magazine and newspaper IN the
United States printed last season from
one to a score Of arraignments of the
common house fty-the disease.breed-
er. the typhoid fly; the ~infantile pa
ra1ysis fly; in a word. the twentieth
century pest, an enemy OF mankind.
Swat the fly" has become the slogan
OF the day.
For every fly killed in May there
;wifybe ten thousand less in June. a
million less in July. and by Septem-
Der the most ambitious boy. eager to
earn the prize for the greatest number
OF flies killed, couldn't possibly lift
the progeny OF this single fly which
escaped him in the springtime. All
very true: but where will all these
dies lay their eggs and real their pre-
cfous tenth of the money invested in
fy screens were spent on killing fly
eggs laid IN anu piles and garbage
cams there would be no need OF the
~ screens which keep out the flies
and incidentally a large proportion OF
the cooling breeZes OF summer.
Our Government has carried on al;
extensive experiment with manure
piles and the eggs which each female
ny deposits therein by the thousand.
and has found the remedy. 1t IS or
binary borax. one OF the commonest
and cheapest Of minerals. produced in
abundance In the United States. and
It takes very little to make the fly
egg quite worthless as a future fly.
Borax costs about five cents a pound.
and the crude borax mineral. cole
mantle, considerably less. while three
ffths Of a pound sprinkled through
10 cubic feet-about eight bushels
of manure will kill SO per cent OF the
eggs and maggots Of the fly.
A long series Of experiments look
ing to the destruction of fly eggs and
fly larvae in manure piles has been
carried on under the direction Of DR..
L. o. Howard, the e~ntomologist Of the
Department Of Agriculture, the ma
nure being treated in boxes or cages.
the collection Of these resembling a
group of huge beehives. The manure.
wei infested with fly eggs. was treat
ed with borax. Kerosene, potassium
cyanide, formaldehyde. copper sui
plate, Paris green and ten or a dozen
other chemicals. but none gave salts
factory results except the DoraX.
Strangely enough, the Isthmian Cana!
Commission larvicide. consisting OF
zawAHlfn anfA Faein 1oV1cfir Gnda and
water, which kills mosquito larvae in
less than half an hour, had but slight
effect upon fly larvae.
An important consideration in the
borax treatment is in the effect on the
manure. Some OF the chemicals test
ed rendered the n dangerous
as 8 fertilizer. making It more harm
full than beneficial to plant growth.
but 6orax not only makes the manure
possibly more beneficial as a fertili-
yer. hut prevents burning or firefang.
ing, q natural process with ordinary
manure piles which considerably re-
duces the fertiliZing effect.
The borax treatment is simplicity
Itself. DR.. Towards advice is to ap-
ply 6sto 10 pounds Of borax to every
-Afght bushels of manure Immediately
UPON its. removal from the barn, sift-
inE the borax around the outer edges
soe the pile with a common -four sitter
and then sprinkle a large watering
rot fun of water over it. The flies
lay their eggs IN the fresh manure
and the borax when 1t comes in con-
tact with the eggs prevents their
Matching. The few eggs which do
hatch into maggots will soon or later
encounter the borax, too, and die.
The treatment should be repeated win
each addition Of fresh manure. since
the eggs hatch out in one day. but
remain In the manure IS maggots for
seVeral. days more. When the manure
Is kept in closed boxes or pits less
frequent applications will suffice. Re:
fuse and garbage should be treated
in the same way. The cost OF manure
treatment is figured at one cent per
horse per day.
The borax treatment is so simple.
50 effective. and so inexpensive and
so small a burden on the individual,
that any community can enact and
easily enforce regulations which Will
leave the fly without a breeding place;
hence there will be no flies to swat.