6 



Topical applications. — If exposure has l)ocii unwittingly incurred or 

 precautions have been neglected and the characteristic irritation has set 

 in. warning- the patient of trouble to come, a (-ounterirritant or cooling 

 lotion should be applied directl}' to the alfected parts. For this pur- 

 pose moderately strong ammonia, applied whim the symptoms are tirst 

 manifest, has offered the best results, and the writer reconuuends it 

 above all other direct remedies. Bicarbonate of soda or common cook- 

 ing soda or saleratus may be substituted in supersaturated solution. 

 Similar alkaline solutions would probably also serve in counteracting 

 the insectpoison, which is acid. These substances should beapplied lil)er- 

 ally until the irritation subsides. Some persons have testified to the value 

 of a 10-per-cent dilution of carbolic acid. Alcohol, camphor, essence 

 of peppermint, and similar preparations are very ''cooling,'' but aflford, 

 as a rule, only temporary relief. A dilute tincture of iodine or collo- 

 dion applied lightly to the affected parts is a good remedy in case of 

 severe suffering. The latter acts 1)}' protecting the "sore'' spots from 

 the air. 



Destruction, of the mites In the field. — Much complaint has been 

 made of the presence of harvest mites on lawns and in vegetation in 

 country grounds and along pathways and roadsides, and information has 

 been solicited by many, including officers of country clubs and the like, 

 for methods of eliminating the mites from such locations. This can be 

 accomplished by keeping the grass, weeds, and useless herbage mowed 

 as closely as feasil)le, so as to expose the mites to the sun. In some 

 cases this can be facilitated by dusting the grass and other plants, after 

 cutting, with flowers of sulphur or by spray ing with dilute kerosene emul- 

 sion in which sulphur has l)een mixed. Grasses on the borders of 

 ponds frequented by cattle, wild blackberry bushes, and similar plants 

 should also be cut down and destroyed in the vicinity of houses and 

 where children and older persons are liable to mite infestation b}- pass- 

 ing through them. Well-cultivated fields kept free from weeds are not 

 infested with ''chiggers," and in the course of time, perhaps a year or 

 two, the measures prescri])ed, if carefully carried out in grassy locations, 

 should also entirely free these from the pests. 



Approved: 



James Wilson, 



Secretarij of Agrlcultuve. 



Washincton, D. C, Septeinhrr :i9, lUOG. 



[Cir. 77] 



o 



