THE first warm days of May are 

 marking the start of the summer 

 campaign to rid Illinois of flies as 

 farmers join with city groups 

 throughout the state in an all-out 

 battle against the pest. 



The state-wide campaign is being di- 

 rected by the Illinois Agricultural As- 

 sociation, the Illinois Natural History 

 Survey, the University of Illinois College 

 of Agriculture, and the State Depart- 

 ment of Public Health. 



Farm Bureaus and farm advisers in 

 89 counties are working with city health 

 authorities to rid their communities of 

 flies. They are enlisting the aid of 

 hardware dealers, druggists, luncheon 

 clubs, chambers of commerce, house- 

 wives, and farmers. 



As an example of cooperation, farm- 

 ers and merchants at Ramsey in Fayette 

 county have met to draw plans to rid the 

 village and five adjoining townships of 

 flies. 



The village is using an old fire engine 

 to spray with DDT in town while farm- 

 ers are either spraying on their own or 

 hiring one of two local custom sprayers. 



Farmers who plan to join the cam- 

 paign should have their clean-up work 

 completed this month. This entails haul- 

 ing out manure, cleaning up old straw 

 piles, and ridding farms of fly-breeding 

 sources. 



Many are joining the campaign even 

 though their neighbors are not planning 

 to do so. Flies do not travel great dis- 

 tances, and farmers who get a few from 

 their neighbors can kill the intruders by 

 their own spraying. 



Farmers buying DDT materials are 

 finding that there are various types and 

 concentrations on the market. The three 

 most often recommended are: The 50 

 per cent DDT wettable powder. This 

 is the most economical source of DDT 

 and is recommended for both livestock 

 and buildings. It leaves a slight whitish 



residue, however, and requires some agi- 

 tation to keep in solution. 



The 25 per cent DDT oil emulsion 

 concentrate. This is DDT in a liquid 

 form and is recommended for interior 

 and exterior surfaces of farm buildings 

 where a slight whitish residue would be 

 objectionabfe. It is easier to mix with 

 water but is more expensive than the 30 

 per cent wettable powder. 



The 5 per cent DDT oil solution. 

 Designed tor exterior surfaces around the 



home, such as screens, doors, porch ceil- 

 ings, it lasts longer than other DDT ma- 

 terials but is more expensive. 



DDT kills by paralyzing the insect's 

 nerve centers. Very small amounts on 

 any part of the fly's body will penetrate 

 and kill. That is wh'y it is not necessary 

 to spray directly on the insect. Flies 

 pick up a killing dose by walking on 

 DDT residue. 



This is also the reason for spraying all 

 surfaces where insects gather and roost. 

 Various strength sprays are being recom- 

 mended for buildings but one important 

 rule should be followed. One-half 

 pound of the actual chemical DDT 

 should be deposited on every thousand 

 square feet of fly-roosting surface, ac- 

 cording to H. B. Petty, entomologist for 

 the Natural History Survey at Urbana. 



This half pound of DDT is found in 

 one pound of 50 per cent DDT wettable 

 powder, one quart of 25 per cent DDT 

 emulsified concentrate, or a little more 

 than one gallon of five per cent DDT 

 oil solution. These various amounts 

 should then be mixed with two or three 

 gallons of water to make enough liquid 

 to cover 1000 square feet. 



In spraying livestock, dairy cattle arc 

 sprayed weekly with a spray containing 

 one-half pound of 50 per cent DDT 

 water-wettable powder to three gallons 

 of water. 



Beef cattle are treated once a month 

 with a spray containing one-fourth pound 

 of 50 per cent DDT wettable powder in 

 three gallons of water. 



Success of the program on any farm 

 will depend on the follow-up sprayings 

 throughout the summer and fall. By 

 October it should be possible to appraise 

 the success of the state-wide program. 



But no matter what his country or 

 city neighbors do, each farmer can reap 

 the rewards of cleanliness, comfort, and 

 better living from his own eflForts to rid 

 his farm of flies. 



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