660 MISCELLANEOUS FARM SUBJECTS 



fectant, as it not only destroys bad odors but also kills the germs 

 producing them. As a rule it is better to employ an antiseptic or 

 germicide which has no smell of its own, as there is danger that the 

 real state of affairs may be hidden or masked by the pleasant odor 

 of the deodorizer, while the putrefactive process goes on without 

 hindrance. Many such substances are sold as disinfectants though 

 entirely worthless. It must be remembered that bad smells do not 

 always accompany dangerous processes ; and on the other hand, that 

 the ordinary putrefactive processes, which give rise to very offensive 

 odors, often destroy virulent disease germs. (Wis. Exp. St. B. 166.) 



Thorough cleaning will often make disinfectants unnecessary 

 but no amount of disinfection will take the place of cleanliness. In 

 cases of contagious diseases both cleanliness and disinfection must 

 be employed. 



The market is flooded with commercial disinfectants put out 

 by private manufacturers. Many make absurd claims for their ma- 

 terial. In buying these disinfectants one is apt to pay much more 

 than their true value. It should always be remembered that no one 

 firm has a monopoly of chemical disinfectants. All commercial 

 disinfectants depend on well known chemicals for their action. A 

 few manufacturers have succeeded in preparing these chemicals so 

 that they are easily handled and have certain advantages over the 

 substances on which their value depends, but as a rule it is better 

 to buy the chemicals and not some private commercial preparation 

 of them. 



The action of a disinfectant often depends largely on its solu- 

 bility in water. For example, some oily substances have considera- 

 ble power but do not dissolve readily in water, nor mix with it. A 

 good example is found in the cresols, which are the basis of many 

 commercial preparations. The general usefulness of these valuable 

 agents is much increased by combining them with soaps as in creolin, 

 lysol, etc., which mix readily with water in all proportions. 



For complete disinfection of a room the gaseous disinfectants 

 are the best, for the reason that the gas permeates every nook and 

 corner reaching places that would not be touched in any other way. 

 It is plain that the room must be tightly sealed to prevent the escape 

 of the gas. This is easily done with strips of heavy wrapping paper 

 and ordinary flour paste, put on with a paint or white-wash brush. 

 It is easily washed off and leaves no mark. 



Medicated soaps are usually worthless and should not be trusted. 

 Most of them are not as good as ordinary soap alone. Soaps are 

 useful mainly in making substances soluble, and assisting in cleaning 

 surfaces, garments, etc. 



No one should feel dependent on commercial disinfectants for 

 nature has provided very powerful agents for the destruction of 

 disease producing germs. 



Sunlight is one of the most powerful germicides known, de- 

 stroying not only the growing germ but also the spores. If we 

 had means to carry sunlight into every corner of our barns and 

 houses, there would never be any need to buy chemical disinfectants. 



