The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-05-03
FIRST PRIZE ESSAY
ON KILLING FLIES
Frank Ford, Seventh Grade Pupil
Writes Very Interesting and
Instructive Essay on How
To Do Away With Flies

The following essay on, How K
Get Rid of Flies" by Frank Ford
was awarded first prize in a contest
participated in by pupils of the
seventh and eighth grades, and be-
sides being instructive, is a very
good sample of the work being
turned out in these grades. Frank
Ford is pupil of the seventh grade
A fly is one of the most danger
Gus things in the world. One man
said, "A fly is more dangerous than
lion" He spoke the truth. Flies
are the main cause of the serious
diseases like typhoid fever, dyptheria
and tuberculosis.
The name fly is applied to many
kinds of insects. In fact, more than
10000 species are known today.
the scientific name for fly is, Dys-
terra, which means two winged. The
gnat, nudge, blow-iy, mosquito,
may-fy, dragon fly, and many other
species Of insects bear the name Of
fly. But the one true fly which is
so common about the places men in
habit is the domestic fly, or house
fly, and it is this little creature that
is meant when the term fly is used.
No other known insect, except one
little scale fly, has two wings. The
wings of flies are transparent, they
have lengthwise veins and are never
folded as are the wings of grasshop-
pers, etc. Instead of hind wings,
which most flies have, flies have two
small, ord-like organs, which prob
ably help it to balance and steer it
self when it flies. The larger part
of its head is made up of two
wonderful eyes, which have thou
sands of little eyes which enable
their owner to see in almost any
direction.
There are some very interesting
things about the house-fy, but
nothing about it is more remarkable
than the amazing rapidity with
which it breeds. If there were alive
in the world at the beginning of
April but one fly and that an egg
laying female, there would be six
months later, if all eggs changed
to flies, no fewer than 1920
900, 900, 900, 200, 0OO-over 131 quin-
tillions of descendendants of that
one first fly! Little wonder it is
that neighborhoods, which seemed
free from flies in May, in a week or
two be swarming with them!
The female fly lays her eggs in
any warm, damp, decaying matter,
such as the manure of the stable,
the filth of the pig-stye, the fer
menting garbage, and many other
filthy, diseased places, and there the
little white maggots are Matched out
Soon these change into pupae, or
the intermediate stage, and in from
eight to fourteen days emerge as
mature flies. Led by its strong
sense of smell the young fly hastens
from its filthy Matching place to
the nearest food supply, perhaps an
imperfectly screened kitchen, the
dinner table, or the baby's milk,
where it begins to be deadly
enemy.
Some people claim that the little
stingless insect cannot hurt people
and really helps them, as it does
away with things that are decayed,
but doctors and scientists are ready
to prove the contrary. tuberculosis
and all filth diseases are carried by
it and domestic animals owe many
of their diseases to its presence. In
fact, flies cost in Canada and the
United States alone, hundreds of
millions of dollars and scores Of
thousands of lives every year.
The way they accomplish all this
is very clear, because their hairy
legs are peculiarly we'll fitted for
carrying germs and pieces of filth
from their favorite haunts to food
left exposed for them to walk on.
More than 100000 bacteria can be
carried by one fly on its body as it
flies from the spittoon, manure pit,
or sick room to food, baby's lips,
and other things.
The average person feels helpless
and HOPELESS in facing the question
OF what is to be done about the fly.
His opinion is There always have
been flies, therefore, there always
VIII be fiies," and he makes little
or no effort on his part to extermi-
nate them. Serious scientific men
have faced the problem in a more
sober-minded, scientific manner, and
have found ways that would do
much toward Kidding the world of
this pest. In agricultural COM
munlties such favorable breeding
places as open swill barrels and
manure piles can be replaced by
covered manure bins and screened
top barrels, and the flies kept down
cities and villages, however, may
with proper care, be fiyless.
Some of the remedies are easy
and have been employed for years
windows and doors may be screened
and hypaper may be placed to
catch those which do slip in, but this
is not the way to begin the destruc.
ton of them. One thirteen-year-old
boy, who had become interested in
the determination of flies, said "why
not put all the flies in Jail and lei
ourselves out?" The annual cost
OF screening doors and windows esti.
mated flor the United States and
Canada) at $15,000,0O0, would, il
properly used, make screens un.
necessary.
Inc FIRST step in a campaign
against flies is to kill the white,
ny-the occasional one that survives