248 The Control of Mosquitoes 



fumigating material. After igniting the contents 

 of the pans, the inspector remained in the room 

 until he was sure that the fumigating powder was 

 burning properly, and that the fires were not likely 

 to go out before the fumigants were entirely con- 

 sumed. A man was ready to paste up the exit 

 the moment the inspector left the room. Room 

 after room was treated in this manner, and hall- 

 ways were treated last. The laborers engaged 

 in pasting work remained at the doors long enough 

 to detect escaping fumes, and repair defects in 

 the sealing. 



The amount of pasting varied with the nature 

 of the building treated. In some cases the entire 

 wall of a room had to be covered with paper. All 

 ceilings or roofs, walls, and floors were carefully 

 examined, and every opening closed. Each room 

 was dealt with as a separate unit, to prevent the 

 formation of air currents and the traveling of fumes 

 to a possible avenue of escape. During the entire 

 fumigation period in Havana absolutely nothing 

 was burned by the fumigation operations, although 

 wooden houses might easily have caught fire. 

 Every precaution was taken against accident. 

 It was always necessary to make stire that no 

 cats or dogs were hiding in out-of-the-way places. 



In weU-built stone houses we used one pound of a 



