RELATION TO THE HOUSEHOLD 247 



every direction. It is also well to have the vessel large 

 enough to hold at least twice the amount of liquid 

 required, and if more than one pound of cyanide is 

 necessary, it is better to have two or more jars. 



Where only a single room is to be treated make it as 

 tight as possible by sealing windows and other exits, 

 but open all closets, furniture drawers and trunks so as 

 to give free entrance to the gas. When the exit door is 

 closed, place a damp towel or other cloth at the bottom, 

 plug the key-hole with cotton and leave the room 

 tightly closed for at least two hours. Then open a 

 window or transom from the outside into the open air 

 or into a well-ventilated hall, and allow the gas to 

 escape for at least ten minutes before entering the 

 room. Open all windows for at least an hour before 

 attempting to re-occupy the chamber. 



W^hen an entire house is to be treated, first of all 

 close and seal all windows and openings to the outer 

 air as tightly as possible, except those through which 

 the operators expect to leave, and those should be on 

 the ground floor. Put into every room and into every 

 hall the basins or jars containing the necessary amount 

 of water; place alongside in a bottle or tumbler the 

 necessary amount of acid and in a bag the cyanide. 

 Begin at the top of the house, because the gas is light 

 and rises; first pour the acid into all the jars, then add 

 the cyanide and repeat on the floors below until the 

 entire building is treated. Two men can work better 

 than one in a building of any size, and in such cases the 

 number of fumigating vessels should not be multiplied 

 more than absolutely necessary. If everything has been 

 properly prepared it is a matter of only a few minutes 

 to start fumigation in a building of considerable size, 

 and such a building should then be kept tightly closed 

 for twenty-four hours if possible. At the end of that 



