138 FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



THE KEROSENE EMULSION. 



To make this I take a quart of soft soap mixed with a gallon of water, and 

 then heat it to a boiling temperature, when I add a pint of kerosene oil. It is 

 not necessary to use so much soap, but as the soap as well as the oil is an 

 insecticide, and as the mixture of the oil with the soap solution is more 

 thorough and permanent, in case of an abundance of soap, I am led to advise 

 the amount named above. When adding the oil I thoroughly stir the mixture. 

 This is easily done by pumping by aid of the fountain pump the liquid mixture 

 back into the vessel. If there is a failure to mix or to remain thoroughly 

 commingled, for any reason, it is always easy to re-mix as just described, imme- 

 diately before we are to use the liquid. 



I have found this kerosene and soap emulsion harmless to all plants on 

 which I have used it, and very destructive to most insects with which it comes 

 thoroughly in contact. All of you know how destructive plant lice often are 

 to our fruit and ornamental trees. One application of this emulsion will 

 thoroughly exterminate these terrible sappers. 



Mr. Hanford, of Bristol, Indiana, who supplies so many of us Michigan peo- 

 ple with fruit, wrote to me a year or two ago that his fruit trees were suiiering 

 terribly from the attacks of plant lice and asked for a cure. I explained what 

 I have described above. He told me at the meeting of the United States Hor- 

 ticultural Society last September, that he used the remedy and saved the trees. 

 About a year ago I was appealed to by Mr. Aldrich, of the Cold water Bepuhli- 

 can, and many others for a remedy for the maple bark or scale louse. jN'early 

 all our fruit and valuable shade and ornamental trees are frequent victims to 

 one or more species of these bark lice. Our experiments at the college 

 prove conclusively that if applied just as the eggs of the lice hatch, these i^er- 

 nicious lice can be most beautifully cleaned out by a thorough spraying with 

 this same kerosene and soap emulsion. In most all cases these bark lice eggs 

 hatch in June. 



Again, for the past few years our cabbages have suffered terribly from the 

 attack of the cabbage maggot, which by tunneling and furrowing the under- 

 ground stem ruins the young plants just after the cabbages are set out. The 

 eggs are laid and the injury commenced even while the plants are yet in the hot 

 beds. JSTow if applied early this kerosene emulsion is sure death to these mag- 

 gots. It will not do to wait till the maggots have worked a tunnel far into the 

 roots, and thus fashioned a place of retreat safe from all possible disturbance, 

 and also blighted the plants beyond any possible hope of recovery. The liquid 

 mixture must be applied early, when the flies first come around, and 

 every two or three days until the flies are gone, and then a sure rid- 

 dance may be counted on. The closely related radish and onion maggots, 

 both of which are serious pests in our State, can be destroyed in the same 

 way. This insecticide is much to be preferred to bisulphide of carbon for this 

 purpose, as it is just as effective and is in no danger of injuring the plants. 

 This emulsion is also a most excellent wash for the trunks and main branches 

 of our apple trees. It will not only kill the apple tree 1)ark louse as already 

 stated, but will also prevent the beetles which are parents of the destructive 

 borers from laying their eggs. This washing should be done about the lOtli of 

 June. Such washing early in June is sure to pay a great interest. 



The fourth, and the last insecticide that I shall discuss in tliis paper, is gas 

 lime. This is refuse material which arises in the manufactory of illuminating 

 gas, and so where we are near gas works will cost us nothing. It appears to be 



