THE HOUSE-FLY EXHIBITION. 533 



worth while stvidying the house-fly and the blow-fly from this 

 point of view. 



4. Questions are coming in about treatment of inamtre-heaps to 

 keep flies away : is there anything deterrent to flies ? It happens 

 that we have some recent research work on this very point, but 

 only as i-egards blow-flies ; it is work done at the Cooper Research 

 Laboratory at Watford. There is here an important line of Avork 

 and one which is going to be of immediate importance. 



5. Treatment of Manure-heajis to kill Maggots in them. — Some 

 work has been done on this point in the United States and 

 Canada, but I believe that much better methods only need to 

 be worked out, possibly using the new vapour-poisons that have 

 been found during the last year. In America they recommend 

 borax, but it seems likely that better and cheaper methods will 

 be found. 



I have now shown you investigations which, if done in the 

 past, would have enabled us to deal with this fly problem ; so it 

 is, of course, with all branches of science, but I have been able 

 here to give you definite concrete cases and not simply glittering- 

 generalities. 



I have devoted more time to this point perhaps than I ought 

 because this particular problem will affect people closely, because 

 the lives of children will continue to be lost till we grapple with 

 it, and because it is not often one gets a chance of reaching the 

 Press. Perhaps some wealthy and enlightened person will endow 

 fly-research, perhaps some organised body will take it up, perhaps 

 even some day the Government will think of it. I do hope that 

 in this case the Press will put the issues clearly and definitely. 



To return to the flies. "We hope to open the exhibition to- 

 morrow, and to admit the public at certain hours, the health 

 ofiicials, doctors and technical folk at others. We owe much to 

 those who have helped to organise, and who have prepared or 

 lent models, posters, pictvires, traps, samples, and appliances. 

 Dr. C. J. Martin, the Director of the Lister Institute, has very 

 kindly revised the pamphlet as regards diseases carried by flies, 

 and we hope to have that out this week. 



In these times we all do what we can, and I am privileged to 

 be able to utilise the facilities of the Gardens for this exhibition. 

 It is perhaps a new departure for the Society, an unusual feature 

 that may be looked on as unseemly by some of the Fellows. I 

 think that the circumstances justify it, and that if it does good 

 and anything comes of our work, the Nation will be indebted to 

 the Society, and this incursion into practical applied entomology 

 will not be regretted." 



