184 THE HOUSE FLY—DISEASE CARRIER 
nel up into the trap. The traps caught many each day, 
and were soon filled with a buzzing mass. He suggests 
that a trap of this kind should be placed near the door 
of a house, as flies will congregate at the top of the 
screen door and enter the house when the door is 
opened. 
He caught quarts of flies, and at first killed them by 
pouring scalding water over them, but this had a detri¬ 
mental effect upon the wood and wire of the trap, so 
he killed them by fumigating with sulphur, setting a 
large paper packing box over all, destroying them in 
this way in about two and a half minutes. 
Many different kinds of fly traps are used in differ¬ 
ent parts of the world. We read, for example, in the 
Journal of the Department of Agriculture of Western 
Australia that flies may be effectually destroyed by 
putting a half spoonful of black pepper in powder on 
a teaspoonful of brown sugar and one teaspoonful of 
cream. Mix all together and place in a room where 
flies are troublesome and it is said they will soon dis¬ 
appear. 
Dr. Paul Freer of Manila tells the writer that in the 
Japanese hospitals they take a whole potato and stick 
it full of toothpicks, put fly paste on the toothpicks, 
and hang the potatoes from the ceiling over the pa¬ 
tient’s bed on a cord. The flies all gather on the po¬ 
tato, and when it is full they throw the potato away 
and make a new trap. The toothpicks' are placed about 
one-fourth of an inch apart, and the potato presents 
the appearance of a porcupine. 
