180 
Gardeners and Florists’ Annual for J9J8 
stock, and Farmers’ Bulletin No. 687, U. S. Dept, of Agriculture, recom- 
mends methods of eradication. One method is to cut the fern with a 
scythe in the middle of June, just as the spores are beginning to mature, 
and again the middle of August, before the second crop of spores can 
spread, burning over as soon as the cut ferns are dry, to lessen the 
vitality of the root stock. The land may then be seeded with pasture 
grass and Clover. To improve the stand, add lime or lime with fer- 
tilizer. Another method is to spray the fern growth with salt solution, 
one pound of salt to one and one-half quarts of water, using a sprayer. 
Two sprayings, one about the middle of June and another the middle 
of August, are necessary, and the ferns, after drying, should be 
burned over. These methods were tried with Hay-scented fern, but 
it is believed that they would also be effective with Brake fern. 
Flies in Houses. — The common house fly is now generally known 
to be a very dangerous insect, carrying disease germs far and wide. 
’ It commonly lays its eggs upon horse manure, but these may also be 
laid upon any kind of manure, or upon a great variety of decaying 
vegetable and animal material. An individual fly may lay 120 eggs at 
one time, and two> to four batches may be laid. The eggs usually hatch 
in less than 24 hours, and the period of emergence of the adult fly is 
8 to 12 days. In a few days the young female is ready to deposit eggs. 
There may be 10 to 12 generations every Summer, so that the number 
of flies that it is possible to mature will thus readily be estimated. The 
best preventive of all, of course, is absolute cleanliness, especially in 
regard to manure or decaying material. Stable yards are almost inevi- 
table sources of flies. Other means, are the use of sticky fly papers, 
fly traps, which are obtainable in various patterns, fumigants, and the 
burning of fresh pyrethrum powder. Another way is to expose in 
shallow dishes a mixture of formalin and milk or water, sweetened with 
a little sugar; one teaspoonful of commercial formalin to one teacupful 
of water or milk. Above all, hovvever, cleanliness pays. 
Forcing. — Forcing means the advancing of crops beyond their 
natural season, and is practised with flowering plants, vegetables and 
fruits. Any hothouse may be made a forcing house, or pits and frames 
may also be utilized, the heating being either by liot water, steam, or 
by the use of fermenting material such as horse manure and leaves. In 
the latter case two loads of the manure may be mixed with one of leaves, 
the latter tending to retain the heat for a longer period and maintain it 
steadily. In making a hotbed throw the fermenting material into a 
heap until it has become thoroughly heated, turn once or twice, then 
fill it into the trench or pit or frame. A depth of 2ft. to 3ft., well 
packed, is necessary to furnish heat in cold Spring weather for two 
or three weeks. By means of thermometers inserted in the soil which 
is above the hotbed, the degree of temperature can be ascertained 
and new material can be added around the outside of the frame. Such 
hotbeds are very valuable on small places for promoting growth at a 
critical time. Gentle forcing can also be done by means of hand 
frames, bell glasses or cloche. The new “Continuous Cloche” has been 
found very valuable, this being a continuous ridge of panes of glass 
laid over a growing crop out of doors to afford shelter and retain sun 
