Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 March 1875 — Fleas in Florida. [ARTICLE]

Fleas in Florida.

A rsceiit correspondent of the Baltimore Sun, writing from Jacksonville, says: “ One of the most prolific crops that the sands of Florida develop at certain seasons is the playful flea. He is a merry little nomad, and wauders around on warm days in a reckless, dissipated *° rt of way. He is gregarious in his tastes. One no sooner begins his gymnastics on your legs than a whole regiment marches up, deploy into line and begin skirmishing over your body in a

manner that is very perplexing. They are very independent ana liberal, biting all alike, without regard for color, race, or previous condition, etc. When captured early in life and properly educated they become very docile and almost as intelligent as are the ‘trained fleas’ in London, which are dressed and armed and mounted cm horseback, like Christiana, every horse being a flea, bridled wad saddled, and at the command of their owner they go through a number ol movements with a regularity that is truly wonderful. In the uncivilized state, however, the flea is a Very uncertain ‘critter,’ and very agile. To catch him is like playing at ‘ thunble-rig.’ Now you see him, now yon don’t. You slap your hands down violently, and with great precision, on some tender portion of your body where the little rascal is pleasantly grazing, and are ready, like the victim of ‘ thimble-rig,’ to bet you can name the hanahe is under. You carefully remove it, finger by finger, and discover, instead of a little red rascal, a big red mark. I met the other day a popular young man from your city, who resides on Park street, on a big flea hunt. He is quite a sportsman, and came here for sport; he thinks he has had it, having been in close pnrsnit of a flea ever since he came. The morning I met him he was sitting up in bed. As I entered the room he signed me to be quiet. If a snake had been his bed-fellow he would scarcely have moved more cautiously or removed the covers more stealthily. He saw him; his hand was poised for a few seconds in mid air, as a smile of malicious satisfaction passed over his countenance, then down it came like a sledge-hammer, smack went the report, away skipped the flea, “ merrily singing his chic-a-dee-dee.” It has often been said that women have more tact and skill and perseverance than men in overcoming the little difficulties of life. They sorely make an admirable display of the qualities in the manner in whicn they deal with these little red wretches. A lady told me of a system she adopted when in Italy, and which experience has proved to her to be the only successful way of dealing with them. I give it to you for the benefit of such of your readers as may be attacked when either traveling abroad or in many parts of this country. “Go to your room,” she says, “lock your door, close your blinds, spread a large blanket on the floor, take your position in the middle of it, with a basin of water beside you, then remove each article of dress, one piece at a time, turn it inside out, and shake it carefully over the blanket. The little wretches will drop on and become entangled in the nap of the blanket, when they can easily be caught and consigned with appropriate rites to a watery grave in the basin.”