and to a much smaller extent in cow dung; that flies are not frequently 

 found in chicken pens, but that they will lay their eggs in accumulations 

 of human excreta, and in garbage, decaying vegetation and filthy refuse. 

 This accounts for the well-observed fact that flies are specially abundant 

 in the neighborhood of stables and of privy outhouses, and that dwelling 

 houses located close to these are usually badly infested, unless they are 

 protected as described further on. An indirect proof is afforded by the 

 fact that in cities the rapidly increasing use of motor vehicles and the 

 corresponding reduction in the number of stable pits reduces the ' fly 

 nuisance. 



In poor farmers' houses, a dirty condition of rooms, walls and ceilings 

 favors the invasion by flies. Crumbs left on the table and food particles 

 scattered on ill-swept floors or hidden in crevices attract them, as does of 

 course any food which is openly exposed. Filthy cuspidors are another 

 fruitful cause for flies. A high temperature of a room invites the pres- 

 ence of flies ; hence they select the kitchen by preference, but also the ad- 

 joining dining room, and those bedrooms through or near which the 

 kitchen chimney passes. It is likewise found that dark rooms are less 

 affected than sunny rooms, and rooms on the ground floor more than those 

 on upper floors. . 



The antiquated and most primitive methods of waste disposal still exist- 

 ing on many farms offer favorable conditions for the breeding and rapid 

 multiplication of flies ; neglected privy vaults and unclean privy, boxes, or 

 dilapidated outhouses, stable and barn manure pits, offensive overflows 

 from cesspools into open ditches, and similar accumulations of filth and 

 nuisances are potent factors causing the presence of house flies in large 

 numbers. 



A mistaken view, altogether too prevalent in many farmers' homes, 

 is that "flies are a necessary evil," which is confined to a few summer 

 months, or that they are an altogether harmless nuisance. Just because 

 the fly nuisance exists only in summer and autumn time, it hardly seems 

 worth while to the farmer to take much trouble to fight it ! It is time that 

 farmers should be impressed with the fact that where flies have access 

 to disease-infected discharges they may carry deadly germs, and that where 

 they enter -the kitchen, the pantry or the dining room, attracted by the 

 food, they deposit the germs in crawling over the food, which they con- 

 taminate either in this way or by the fly specks. That the latter may be 

 a source of actual and positive danger will become apparent when we con- 

 sider that any germ-infected material eaten by flies may pass through their 

 intestinal canal alive, and when deposited on food may spread disease. 



Control and Extermination of Flies. 



The farmer should resolve not to tolerate such a nuisance and the 

 danger to health* incident to it, and should apply himself with energy to 

 the individual work aiming at the control and extermination of flies. 



First of all, he should adopt better methods of waste disposal and exer- 

 cise watchful care over the excreta. To accomplish a proper disposal of 

 sewage matters and of human excreta as well as animal manure in such 



