Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1919 — A GOOD DISINFECTANT [ARTICLE]

A GOOD DISINFECTANT

Good disinfectants destroy the germs of contagious diseases, the external parasites, such as lice and mites; and in some cases the eggs of parasitic worms. The eggs of some kinds of worms are so resistant that disinfectants other than heat have little effect uppn them. The disinfectants should be thoroughly applied to the interior of the houses, worked into all the cracks and crevices, spread over the ceiling and the floor, the roosts, dropping boards, and nest boxes. At the same time the feeding and drinking troughs should be disinfected by pouring boiling water into them and afterwards drying them in the sun. Disinfectants are most easily applied to the walls and ceilings with a spray pump or by using a brush. As it is difficult to keep them from coming into contact with the face and hands, the more harmless of the mixtures should generally be used. Ordinary limewash made from freshly slaked lime is excellent, and its properties are well known to all. In the case of an actual outbreak of virulent disease it is well to add to the limewash 6 ounces of crude carbolic acid to each gallon, to increase its activity as a disinfectant.