10 FARMERS’ BULLETIN 683. 
which may have fed on rats and are therefore dangerous as regards 
disease transmission. . 
Persons resident in districts where plague occurs among the 
ground squirrels should remember that there is danger of infection 
from the bites of fleas which infest these animals. 
MEANS OF REPRESSION. 
Certain general principles regarding the control of fleas are appli- 
cable to nearly all species, but some modifications of the methods 
employed are necessary for different species and under the different 
conditions in which they exist. 
METHODS OF COMBATING HOUSEHOLD INFESTATIONS. 
As has been pointed out, the dog flea and the human flea are the 
two most important species invading the habitations of man. It has 
also been suggested that the adult fleas feed more or less on cats and 
dogs and that the immature stages develop in the cracks of floors and 
beneath houses. It is at once apparent that two steps are necessary 
to cope with the pest: (1) The destruction on the host of the adults 
which are producing the eggs, and (2) the clearing out of the imma- 
ture stages which are breeding in or under the house. 
THE DESTRUCTION OF FLEAS ON CATS, DOGS, AND HOGS. 
One of the most successful methods of killing fleas on cats and dogs 
is to wash the animals thoroughly in a tub containing the proper pro- 
portion of a saponified coal-tar creosote preparation, of which there 
are a number on the market, known as “ stock dips,” ete. The animal 
should be thoroughly scrubbed, making sure that the fleas on the head 
are well soaked, as many rush there to get away from the parts that 
are covered with the solution. After the animal has been in the bath 
for about 5 or 10 minutes it may be removed and allowed to dry. 
In the case of cats, especially if tender skinned, the preparation may 
be washed out of the fur with soap and warm water soon after the 
animal is taken out of the solution. 
In addition to the destruction of all fleas present, this accom- 
plishes the cleansing and deodorizing of the fur and also aids in 
the healing of any wounds which are present. 
Other methods of destroying fleas on cats and dogs have been 
recommended. Among these the careful rubbing into the hair of 
powdered naphthalene or moth balls has been found effective. 
Pyrethrum or Persian insect powder is used in the same way. Both 
of these materials stupefy the insects and cause them to come to the 
