50 HOW TO REDUCE FLIES 



dreds, their thousands, and they ate up the strawberry- 

 jam, and they inspected the cream, and many had 

 ecstatic but fatal baths in the milk-jug. The students 

 had no place and they had no tea the flies took it all. 



Then ensued a discussion between the students and 

 mine host of the hostel as to who should pay for the 

 repast. The latter said that the students had ordered 

 the repast and must pay, while the students maintained 

 that the flies had taken their food. It ended in a 

 compromise the students paid half, the rest was put 

 down to the flies' account. The hotel keeper remarked 

 that he did not know where the insects came from, but 

 that if he did . Had he looked at his own stable- 

 yard he would have seen multitudes of fly-grubs crawl- 

 ing about a smelling manure stack which had grown 

 in size steadily for several months by the addition of 

 daily accumulations. But the flies drove the students 

 from Edgware. 



If the public would realise what damage to health, 

 what misery, and what a pest these disagreeable insects 

 are there would soon be few left. It is so easy to 

 fight them so long as the fight is carried out persever- 

 ingly and with general organisation. It is necessary to 

 institute an anti-fly campaign wherever the insects 

 abound. But it is a mistake to delay such an institu- 

 tion until the flies arrive. For then they will do their 

 damage first and be controlled afterwards when it is too 

 late. It is of little use to close the stable door after 

 the horse has run away. Let us make a start at once 

 with the anti-fly crusade. 



