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BULLETIN ±U, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
A box (fig. 2) devised by Maj. William Lister (military surgeon, 
May, 1912) might be used to good advantage at convict camps. The 
box is 8 feet long, with four holes, and is provided with a grip at each 
end for convenience of handling. The top is 18 inches wide, with a 
slope of 1 J inches to the rear to drain rain and wash water. The cir- 
cular holes are 11 inches in diameter. The lid is extended forward 
flush with the top edge, so as to keep the seat dry, and it has a block 
nailed on the upper side to prevent its opening to a right angle. A 
block (2 by 3 inches) is nailed at each end of the upper edge in front, 
so that when the box is turned over this edge may not be soiled or 
scratched. A piece of tin (8 by 10 inches) is fastened by its upper 
edge to the inside of the front wall, opposite each seat, and set at an 
FRONT ELEVATION 
Fig. 2.— Lister latrine box. 
SECTION 
SHOWING SEAT RAISED 
angle which causes the urine projected against it to fall clear into the 
pit. The box is set on a frame, so as to make the contact with the 
ground closer. This renders the box more completely fly proof, 
and protects the edges of the pit from wear and tear. To hold the 
box on the frame, a strip of board 4 inches wide is nailed 1 inch inside 
the lower edge of the box, thus projecting 3 inches clear and snugly 
fitting inside the frame. 
Disinfection of a pit by fire has been practiced to a considerable 
extent in the United States Army and the results have been very 
satisfactory. 
At about 9 a.m., after a majority of the men have visited the pit, the box being 
lifted to one side ; a layer of straw, grass, or hay (about 20 pounds for a pit 10 feet long) 
is evenly spread over the contents, sprinkled with a gallon of crude petroleum, and 
