24 HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



supplies. Some form of sanitary closet must be substi- 

 tuted and the question is so important that it seems worth 

 while to discuss it at some length. 



Undoubtedly some form of closet by which the waste 

 matter falls in water to be disposed of later or to be carried 

 away immediately through underground pipes to a safe 

 place of disposal is the most satisfactory. In the country, 

 and in a multitude of small country towns probably some 

 form of dry closet will be most used for years to come. 



A type of closet that serves much better than the open, 

 box privy should, first of all, be built as nearly fly tight as 

 possible. It should have a vault built underneath it of 

 brick and cement or other water-tight material. The 

 vault should be wide enough so that it extends as far back 

 outside of the closet as it extends underneath and should 

 be high enough to prevent surface water from entering 

 it. Of course the part extending outside of the closet must 

 be cloesd with a tight fitting cover. In addition, an abun- 

 dant supply of wood ashes, sifted coal ashes, or fine soil, 

 or lime, should be kept inside and sprinkled freely over 

 the material in the vault by each one using the closet. 

 A liberal use of kerosene oil by pouring it over the material 

 in the vault once every week will aid greatly in destroying 

 the eggs and maggots of the fly. When the part of the 

 vault beneath the seat becomes full, the material may 

 be drawn backward into the outer half of the closet. This 

 may be repeated several times during the year. The 

 material may remain there, but it is best to soak it well with 

 oil occasionally. When it is removed, it should not be 

 used as fertilizer, but should be burned if possible, and if 

 not, it should be buried far from any buildings. 



A much better form of closet is described and figured 



