134 FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



our farmiug population. What better then thau that I should explain in the 

 brief space allotted to me how that you can fence out some of these most 

 troublesome insects. 



Paris green and London purple are well know to all of you. Yet few, even 

 of our best read farmers, are fully informed as to the precise extent and limit 

 of their usefulness. The advantages of these arsenites is that they are quick 

 death to everything that eats them. Insects are very small, so small that often 

 a tiny speck is a stomach full to them. Hence the smallest speck of these 

 arsenical poisons, if eaten by any insect, is absolutely sure to send it over 

 Jordan, much to the delight of any farmer whose acres are on this side of that 

 memorable river. Please bear in mind this fact, that the faintest trace of these 

 arsenites will surely bill any insect that eats it. 



The objections to these arsenites as insecticides are first, that they must be 

 eaten to produce their effect, and secondly that if eaten by higher animals — 

 even by man himself — they deal out the same death potion. Used then on 

 plant or bark lice or upon any of the bugs, they prove an entire failure. Such 

 insects insert their sharp beaks through the outside skin or bark and suck the 

 inner blood or sap. Hence they would reach through any superficial coating 

 of Paris green, and would be entirely unharmed by such application. In like 

 manner the curculio laughs in its sleeve at our attempt to check its ravages by 

 use of these substances. The female weevil knoivs enough to push her nose or 

 .snout right through the poison, and cut out that elegant crescent, after which 

 she crowds the egg through the skin of the fruit safe beyond the deadly bait 

 which may rest outside the plum. Thus when any one tells you that you can 

 ;stay the ravages of the plum curculio with Paris green, just say, sotto voce, if 

 you think it more prudent — tliat is a li-kely story. 



A graver objection to the arsenites is the danger that from carelessness they 

 may be eaten by stock or by people and so produce serious loss or even worse, 

 bring heaviest sorrow. I have even heard one person urge that in this world 

 of sorrow and uncertainties and consequent heavy hearts, no such ready weapon ' 

 should be in arm's reach of the would-be suicide. 



It should be said in this connection that nearly, if not every accident from 

 the arsenites, has arisen from culpable carelessness. Paris green mixed with 

 flour is left exposed where cattle gain access to it. Or worse still is laid on 

 shelf or in cupboard, and is taken for quinine or Dover's powders. For this 

 reason I vehemently protest against the use of common white arsenic — arseni- 

 ,ous acid — in place of Paris green and London purple, which is l)eing so stoutly 

 .urged by one of our western horticultural professors. I know white arsenic 

 is cheaper, but how easy to mistake it for medicine or some culinary article, 

 Bud how multiplied the danger in its use over that of the more peculiar Paris 

 green and London purple, whose very color would be the skull and cross-bones 

 that would warn of danger and save life. 



Another dangerous practice is that of handling these poisons with the bare 

 hands, esj)ecially in case there is a break in the skin. This is apt to give the 

 poison ingress to the blood, and may do serious harm — even jiroduce deatli. 

 I would never handle such virulent poisons with the unprotected hands. Xor 

 would I run any risk of breathing the dust. I believe that all that is necessary 

 to make the use of these substances entirely safe, is just reasonable caution. I 

 fully believe that general as is their use, more deaths by far occur from careless 

 handling of fire-arms than from the use of these arsenites. 



I have already indicated that these substances are wholly valueless in fighting 

 plant lice and other haustellate insects which include all the bugs. But in all 



