Page "lore" Paragraph 745

Insect bites were cured in many ways.

Many an old-timer swore by the saliva method ; ;

`` get a bite, spit on it '' was a proverb.

This was used also for bruises.

Yellow clay was used as a poultice for insect bites and also for swellings ; ;

not long ago `` Denver Mud '' was most popular.

Chiggers were a common pest along streams and where gardens and berries thrived ; ;

so small as to be scarcely visible to the eye, they buried themselves in the victim's flesh.

Bathing the itching parts with kerosene gave relief and also killed the pests.

Ant bites were eased by applying liquid bluing.

For mosquito bites a paste of half a glass of salt and half a glass of soda was made.

For wasp stings onion juice, obtained by scraping an onion, gave quick relief.

A handier remedy was to bathe the painful part in strong soapy water ; ;

mud was sometimes used as well as soap.

Just plain old black dirt was also used as a pack to relieve wasp or bee stings.