Flies breed in dirty stables and mosquitoes in standing water. The stables' must be cleaned and kept so, and water drained off or kerosene put upon it. Mosquitoes will breed in water in an empty milk bottle or old tomato can. If flies enter the house, kiU them in some way. Wire or net fly killers cost only ten cents, and do good work. If the flies are very numerous, catch them in wire traps, or bum pyrethrum powder in the room. At night when they are on the ceiling, catch them in a glass of hot water and soap, not quite fuU, by holding the glass under the fly and gently knocking the glass against the ceiling. If the ceiling is high, tack an empty can on the end of an old broom stick and set the glass in that. Clothing moths are kept out by precautions already mentioned. If bed bugs appear, go over the bed with great care and examine the bedstead. Wash it off with kerosene, putting this well into the cracks. A single insect may be brought in on the clothing. If they continue to appear, all' wall paper should be removed, wood- 362 FOODS AND HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT work varnished or painted. It may be necessary to resort to fumi- gation, but this should be done by an expert. Croton or water bugs are difficult to destroy, if they are once in a house. No gar- bage should be left about, to attract them at night. There are powders that drive them away, and another remedy is sulphur paste, which comes for the purpose, and which may be spread on sli ».es of potato. The U. S. Department of Agriculture issues free bulletins on the suppression of household insects. Precautions against fire. — So many disastrous fires occur as a result of a careless act that we need to train ourselves in caution. The matches used should be of the safety type. They should be blown out, never shaken, and never thrown into a basket of papers. When matches are used, always have a small fire-proof receptacle in each room. Smokers are often careless in regard to their matches, cigars, and pipes. Be careful in summer. to see that a breeze cannot blow some light curtain over a candle or lamp. If a kettle of fat catches fire, pour on sand, but never water. As a general rule, extinguish a flame by covering it rather than by throwing on water. If clothing catches on fire, wrap a rug or any large woolen article tightly around the body. To rush into the air is fatal. If a towel or apron catches fire, roll it up quickly before the blaze spreads. This can be done without injury to the hands. Small fire extinguishers are not expensive. Most kinds contain a solution of soda and a bottle of sulphuric acid which mix when the extinguisher is inverted, and throw out a stream of water charged with gas from a small hose. This works well just as a fire starts. Ex- tinguishers arranged to throw a stream of carbon tetrachloride are also on the market. Repairs. — Too often in planning the budget, and the daily work, the housekeeper forgets to allow for the constant wear and tear on the house itself, and its furnishings ; but to preserve the beauty and usefulness of both the house and furniture, as much thought and time are necessary as for the HOUSEWIFERY 363 repair of clothing. In addition to the care and cleaning, there must be a constant attention to small repairs.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Flies breed in dirty stables and mosquitoes in standing water. The stables' must be cleaned and kept so, and water drained off or kerosene put upon it. Mosquitoes will breed in water in an empty milk bottle or old tomato can. If flies enter the house, kill them in some way. Wire or net fly killers cost only ten cents, and do good work. If the flies are very numerous, catch them in wire traps, or bum pyrethrum powder in the room. At night when they are on the ceiling, catch them in a glass of hot water and soap, not quite full, by holding the glass under the fly and gently knocking the glass against the ceiling. If the ceiling is high, tack an empty can on the end of an old broom stick and set the glass in that. Clothing moths are kept out by precautions already mentioned. If bed bugs appear, go over the bed with great care and examine the bedstead. Wash it off with kerosene, putting this well into the cracks. A single insect may be brought in on the clothing. If they continue to appear, all wall paper should be removed, wood- work varnished or painted. It may be necessary to resort to fumigation, but this should be done by an expert. Croton or water bugs are difficult to destroy, if they are once in a house. No garbage should be left about, to attract them at night. There are powders that drive them away, and another remedy is sulphur paste, which comes for the purpose, and which may be spread on slices of potato. The U. S. Department of Agriculture issues free bulletins on the suppression of household insects. Precautions against fire. — So many disastrous fires occur as a result of a careless act that we need to train ourselves in caution. The matches used should be of the safety type. They should be blown out, never shaken, and never thrown into a basket of papers. When matches are used, always have a small fire-proof receptacle in each room. Smokers are often careless in regard to their matches, cigars, and pipes. Be careful in summer. to see that a breeze cannot blow some light curtain over a candle or lamp. If a kettle of fat catches fire, pour on sand, but never water. As a general rule, extinguish a flame by covering it rather than by throwing on water. If clothing catches on fire, wrap a rug or any large woolen article tightly around the body. To rush into the air is fatal. If a towel or apron catches fire, roll it up quickly before the blaze spreads. This can be done without injury to the hands. Small fire extinguishers are not expensive. Most kinds contain a solution of soda and a bottle of sulphuric acid which mix when the extinguisher is inverted, and throw out a stream of water charged with gas from a small hose. This works well just as a fire starts. Extinguishers arranged to throw a stream of carbon tetrachloride are also on the market. Repairs. — Too often in planning the budget, and the daily work, the housekeeper forgets to allow for the constant wear and tear on the house itself, and its furnishings ; but to preserve the beauty and usefulness of both the house and furniture, as much thought and time are necessary as for the repair of clothing. In addition to the care and cleaning, there must be a constant attention to small repairs.

Foods and household management