I found this advertisement from July 15, 1923 in a news magazine titled Southern Ruralist. What I read on Wikipedia is that Southern Ruralist magazine was sold in 1932 to The Progressive Farmer.
I tried to find some information on Fly-Kill, but I wasn’t able to come up with anything for the product of the “laboratory” that produced it.
I also always love when advertisements say something like “through the discovery of a widely known scientist”, but don’t mention the name of this known scientist.
KILLS FLIES LIKE MAGIC
Wonderful New Chemical Discovered That Is Fatal To Flies – NOT A POISON – Harmless To Stock
Flies are dangerous and annoying pests that cost the farmer a great deal of profit every year. Now, through the discovery of a widely known scientist, you can easily and quickly rid the house, barns and livestock of these pests. This discovery is in the form of a remarkable synthetic chemical which is fatal to flies of all kinds and similar insects such as chiggers, mosquitos and moths.
This new discovery, which is called FLY-KILL, is not a poison. Though flies and insect pests seem to die off like magic, neither human beings or stock are affected by it at all. FLY-KILL is also a strong repellent – flies will not come near livestock or buildings where it has been used. FLY-KILL is very valuable for cows and horses as flies do great harm to these animals and thus take profit from the farmer.
So confident is the distributing laboratories that FLY-KILL will end the fly menace and nuisance in your house, barns, and on live stock that they offer to send a full $3.00 supply of FLY-KILL for only $1.25 on the guarantee that if your fly troubles are not ended it costs nothing. This offer is fully guaranteed and is made for a limited time to introduce FLY-KILL to a million new users.
SEND NO MONEY – just your name and address to the Fly-Kill Laboratories, …, St. Louis, Mo., and this offer will be mailed at once.
So, I wonder what Fly-Kill was, if not a poison?
