The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1917-05-10

Issued by the state Board Of Hsalsl


common house fly carries more sick
ness and deaths 10 human beings
every year than all other insects and
animals combined. Practically. the fly
lays her eggs only In horse manure
or il the rich soil under 10, 100 TO
1850 at q time, repeating this every 3
or I days, and in about 10 days each
undisturbed egg is full grown fly.
In the height Of the fly season, IL has
been found that each ton OF manure
often contains from fifty TO hun
dred thousand or more eggs and mag
gots, each Of which will make Q full
grown fly. Asy child can prove the
truth Of this by filling q glass jar
with manure containing the eggs or
maggots and nnd how quick they will
hatch. develop, lay eggs and repeat
the operation at the rate Of 3 genera
tions a month. This shows how
hopeless q task 10 Is TO get rid Of
them by killing the individual flies.
except the few which get into
screened houses.
Bred in filth. and with flne hairs
all over their bodies. legs and bills,
they spend their waking hours on
the Nth Of privies and backyards
and on dead asd decaying things, ex-
cept about meal-time, when, reek-
ing with fllth, they are found crawl
ing over the food, hands and utensils
wherever the houses are not so
screened as 10 actually keep them
out Deadly as are the seed or germs
~ typhoid fever or tuberculosis, 1900
OF them can be carried on one leg Of
q ny, and the seed Of these diseases
and Of cholera infantum, dysentery
aad hOokworm. constantly get In the
mouth and body in this way. These
habits Of flies can be easily proven
by sprinkling flour over the flthiest
things in back yards and then find
ing IL on the same flies as they crawl
over the food. hands and dishes.
Leaving humans for a moment
many intelligent up-to-date farmers
have stopped breeding flies because
they cannot keep their work stock 10
nj condition. or fatten animals for
market, during ny time In any other
way.
As the cost OF sickness and prema-
ture funerals. 10 say nothing OF the
suffering and sorrOw involved, and
the loss from injury 10 domestic
animals. caused by flies. probably
imposes as much expense upon the
people Of Kentucky every year as
they pay for taxes, We want 10 enlist
every MAJ, woman and child In q
widespread campaign against the
breeding OF Aies. With the existing
accurate knowledge OF the subject II
the earnest and systematic cO-opera-
tion Of the press. the pulpit. the
teachers. the womens clubs and
other leaders of public sentiment and
especially il the interest Of the
children can be secured, II can BE-
done in most cities and on most
farms this year. How can II be donef
As has aready been said, ten days
are required for the Matching of the
eggs and the maturing OF the ales,
and Il should be added that the eggs
and maggots promptly perish II the
manure is spread out in the open cir
and sunshine. II follows that II every
stable in Kentucky where horses are
kept, In cities and towns as we'll as
in country districts can be thorOly
and systematically cleaned out once
q week. and this valuable product
spread In a thin layer over the fields
and gardens. where II is so badly
needed. even on the richest farms,
the breeding of these dangerous
pests would end and the increased
fertility Of the soil would pay for
the trouble and expense many times !
each year. As other varieties OF /
flies, also dangerous and annoying,
breed in garbage and similar collec-
tions Of filth. all of these things, and
the soil under them, should be al
ways scraped up carefully and haul
ed of with the manure. There is no
theory or guess work about the ad-
vice here given. This method has
been successfully tried out in many
cities and towns and on thousands
Of farms in this country and abroad,
and all the other plans-lime and
other disinfectants. fly-paper and
poisons, screening the manure and
swatting, except inside Of screened
practically useless and !,
J. N. MCCORMACK,
State Sanitary Inspector.