19 
gations have been made of inclosures and as yet no fatalities have 
resulted. Yet it is worth remembering that operators after making 
numbers of fumigations are apt to become careless, a tendency which 
should be avoided. 
One form of accident should be mentioned, however. If a matting 
of newspapers or similar material is not placed under each fumigating 
jar, or if the water is added to the acid, instead of the reverse as 
advised in this publication, the acid is apt to run over the generator 
and injure the floor or splash upon the clothing or even the hands of 
the operator.” Such accidents have happened, and to provide against 
this contingency a bottle of dilute ammonia should be at hand. 
If care is observed in labeling the receptacles containing the 
chemicals, if the operators before using this method become thor- 
oughly conversant with it, and if signs are placed on the doors of the 
buildings, the chances of accident will be reduced to a minimum if 
not entirely eliminated. After fumigation buildings should never be 
entered until at least a half hour (an hour or two is safer) has elapsed 
after the doors and windows have been opened for ventilation, and 
under no consideration should an operator return to the place just 
vacated when the operation is under way. 
SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS AND PRECAUTIONS. 
1. Use pure chemicals, generators as prescribed, and paper bags 
of proper quality. 
2. Make every portion of building as nearly gastight as possible. 
3. Make first fumigation 10 ounces to 1,000 cubic feet of space, 
unless building is unusually loose, in which case more must be used. 
4. Repeat fumigation at end of three or four weeks if moths begin 
flying or other evidence of infestation is shown. . 
5. Measure every portion of building carefully for calculation of 
the proportions of chemicals. 
6. Operators should be intelligent and reliable. Any bookkeeper 
can readily calculate the cubic contents and proportions of chemicals 
to‘use. Careless men should not be employed. 
7. Precautions should be made for prompt ventilation from with- 
out, after fumigation. 
4During July, 1909, a Michigan miller reported that while using 35 crocks as gener- 
ators, 14 of them boiled over, the contents soiling the floor badly. The explanation 
in this case was twofold: First, the cyanid was broken into too small lumps, described 
as about the size of coffee berries, and the floors on which the boiling over was worst 
were the two upper ones, while no accident happened in the basement. This hap- 
pened during very warm weather, the top floors being hot while the basement was 
naturally cool. The miller reported the boiling over as follows: Seven out of 10 on 
the third floor, 5 out of 10 on the second, 2 out of 9 on the first, none in the basement. 
[Cir. 112] 
