io THE HOUSE FLY 



emerge as adult flies, which are allowed to breed unchecked ; 

 then the progeny of that single fly will amount to something 

 like 6,488,560,000,000. Sometimes the original parent 

 dies after laying one batch, but as likely as not she will lay 

 two or three more batches of eggs. If she does, then these 

 figures must be multiplied by three. Work it out and the 

 total will stagger the imagination of even an astronomer. 



When it is remembered that one half of this total are 

 female flies, and that to kill a few flies in the springtime is 

 equal to destroying many billions in the autumn, then we 

 should be up and doing. Remember every fly you kill 

 in the early springtime, prevents not only an uncountable 

 swarm later, but you may be the means of saving many of 

 your fellows from disease and death. 



Kill and spare not. Wage unceasing warfare against 

 flies. Try to imagine that every fly which crawls over your 

 foodstuffs has the germs of some disease upon it, and that 

 these germs are being transferred to your food, where they 

 will immediately begin breeding. Be merciless in this 

 respect. Teach your children also to kill and spare not, 

 but be particular to instruct them carefully why they are 

 required to destroy flies, lest they should develop a love 

 of killing for sheer wantonness. 



