The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-04-23

A safe and effective weapon against
the typhoid or house fly has beer
found in powdered hellebOre by scien'
lists Of the department Of agriculture
Flies lay their eggs chiefly in stable
manure. Powdered hellebore mixed
with water and sprinkled over the
manure will destroy the larvae which
are Matched from the eggs. Since pow.
dered hellebore is readily obtainable.
this puts in the hands Of everyone q
remedy for n Of the pests that has
been found dangerous as well as trou-
blesome. Powdered hellebore, how.
ever, will not kill adult flies which
must be swatted or trapped.
It has long been known that flies
breed in manure but previous methods
Of destroying the larvae there by the
use Of strong chemicals have been
open to the objection that the treat
ment under some conditions lessened
the fertilizing value Of the manure or
actually injured vegetation. This is
not true of powdered hellebore. Gov.
eminent experiments have shown that
the hellebore is entirely decomposed
In the course Of the fermentation Of
the manure and that yer In excessive
quantities it does no harm except to
the larvae 1t is intended to destroy.
Chickens picking in manure treated
with 1t suffer no Ill effects.
One-half pound Of powdered helle-
bore mixed with ten gallons Of water
Is sufficient to kill the larvae In eight
bushels, or ten cubic feet Of manure.
The mixture should be sprinkled care.
fully over the pile, especial attention
being paid to the outer edges. In most
places hellebore is obtainable in 100
pound lots at a cost Of II cents q
pound. This makes the cost Of the
treatment a little less than seven
tenths Of a cent per bushel Of manure,
A liberal estimate Of the output al
manure Is two bushels a day per
horse. The money involved ia. there.
fore, trihing in comparison with the
benefits to the individual and the com,
from the practical elimination |
Of the disease-spreadipg fly,
Although fresh manure Ia the fl.
vorlte breeding spot, files lay their
eggs in other places a. well. such a.
refuse piles, etc. In these
from which no manure 10 taken
to spread on the fields. considerable
may be effected through the
substitution Of borax for powdered
nellebore. Applied at the rate of 0.62
per eight bushels Of manure,
oorax is as effective as powdered helle-
bore in killing the larvae but costs
ess than half a cent for each bushel
If manure treated. In larger guam
titles. however, or when the manure
tself is spread at a greater rate than
IL tons to the acre, some damage to
,rops may result, Large quantities
# manure are often used by market
gardeners and others, and there is al.
Ways danger of carelessness In apply.
ng the borax. The use Of the more
expensive but safer hellebore Is there
ore recommended for the treatment i
4 manure. Borax is recommended
or all other refuse In which flies
nay lay eggs.
Scientists who have been working
or years to eliminate the fly are con- 1
inced that the use Of n or the other
( these simple measures Is a public /
uty wherever manure and refuse ex- ]
IT. Sanitarians, however, strongly ad. =;
Use the removal of refuse heaps or !
Their unnecessary rubbish or breeding (
laces for flies. In breeding places
'hich cannot be thus disposed Of I
UGH as manure or stables-the daily \
of powdered hellebore will keep i
,e flies from . breeding In these ia.
orite breeding grounds. The best 70
Its are obtalnable In a community
here everyone cleans up his prem
es, traps or kills the flies, and sys- {
'matically treats the manure and 9th.
breeding places with powdered
I
The fly is not only a nuisance to I
imam beings and live stock; It
disease and filth and 10 I
enace to public health which cannot |
!. tolerated In the face Of q demon I