SANITATION 29 



elders may mistake them for something else, e. g., 

 a headache remedy. 



For disinfecting buildings the mercuric chloride 

 should be applied in a solution of one to five hun- 

 dred (one ounce to four gallons of water) and four 

 times as much common salt (one ounce to the 

 gallon) should be used with it. The solution 

 should be applied as hot as can be handled with a 

 spray pump. After the surface is dry it is a good 

 precautionary measure to apply the disinfectant 

 a second time and to follow as directed hereto- 

 fore with the spray of whitewash, covering the in- 

 terior, walls, ceilings, roosts, nests and floors. 

 The ordinary whitewash is very satisfactory for 

 this purpose; ^'government'' whitewash may be 

 preferable, but as the interior should be white- 

 washed at frequent intervals, there is no particu- 

 lar advantage in having a whitewash of great 

 lasting qualities. 



There are a great number of disinfectants that 

 may be used in solution for disinfecting poultry 

 houses, but certainly none are superior to the 

 coal tar disinfectants. Formalin, for example, is 

 exceedingly irritating to the eyes and respiratory 

 passages of the one doing the spraying. Potassium 

 permanganate needs to be applied in almost sat- 

 urated solution to be effective, and thus becomes 

 expensive. A solution of copper sulphate is not 

 fatal to all parasites. Crude petroleum leaves the 

 building unsightly and the odor persists unduly 

 long, and so it is with many others. 



Of the coal tar disinfectants, crude carbolic acid 

 perhaps stands at the head on account of its low 

 cost, however, it is quite variable in composition. 

 It should be used in five per cent solution, and 



