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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[MaV 2, 1887. 



care must be taken not to overdo it, as the plant is 

 very sensitive, throughout its whole life, towards un- 

 due moisture of the soil. After the plants have sprang 

 up, they need not be watered more than twice a week. 

 Weeds must be kept away until transplantation takes 

 place, which occurs when the plant is about G inchiis 

 high. It is then set out precisely like Cabbage, about 

 20 inches distant from every neighbour, and after- 

 wards needs no further attendance. 



Buhach is a biennial (?) plant, therefore it flowers 

 in the year subsequent to that of sowing. The flowers 

 must be cut off just when they are about to open, as 

 they contain the largest amount of essential oil in 

 this condition. The cut flowers must be carefully 

 guarded against dampness, and must be dried in the 

 shade, never by exposure to the sun or to artificial 

 heat. After the period of flowering is over the plants 

 are cut off 4 inches over the ground, reduced to 

 powder, and this powder mixed with that of the flowers, 

 in a proportion not exceeding one part of the former 

 to two parts of the latter. [This is the statement 

 made by the author of the work from which we quote. 

 It is made in such a manner that it appears to be 

 the regular process followed, there being no intention 

 at all to utilise the flowers alone.] The finer the 

 mixed powder of herb and flowers is, the more effec- 

 tive will it prove to be. If any one wishes to pre- 

 pare the i^owder himself, and does not possess a 

 suitable mill, he may use a mortar covered with 

 leather. The quantity thus worked in a mortar should 

 however, not exceed about 1 lb., to avoid heating the 

 powder. When the substance appears to be com- 

 municated, it is transferred to a fine hair-sieve, and 

 the refuse remaining on it put back in the mortar. 

 It is very difficult to reduce the stems to powder in 

 this manner, which — as the author naively but truly 

 states — is not a serious disadvantage, as tlie flowers 

 are the most valuable portion of the plant. Insect 

 powder should be preserved in glass or met:illic vessels, 

 which should be closed air-tight. 



Insect powder may be used either in form of dry 

 powder, or by fumigation, or in form of alcoholic ex- 

 tract, or mixed with water, or in form of infusion. 



The work from which we quote advises to make 

 the first-mentioned method of using insect powder 

 cheaper by mixing it with flour, saw-dust or wool- 

 ashes, which do not interfere with the insecticidal 

 powers. [Of course, this may be done by the user 

 of the powder, provided the dilution is carried too 

 far.] The mixture ought to he. made at least twenty- 

 four hours before it is to be used, and should mean- 

 while be kept in air-tight vessels. Experiments have 

 been made which show that such mixtures acquire 

 greater eiBciency by keeping. It was found, for in- 

 stance, that af mixture of one part of insect powder 

 and eleven parts of flour, applied, immediately af t> r 

 being mixed, to certain caterpillars, was just sufiS- 

 ciently strong to kill them. But the same effect was 

 produced by applying to them a mixture of one part 

 of insect powder and twenty-two parts of flour which 

 had been mixed twenty-four hours before. [The ex- 

 planation of this may be that the volatile oil of the 

 flowers probably becomes more thoroughly diffused 

 through the mixture in the course of time. — Ed. Am. 

 Dr.] 



The employment of insect powder by way of fumi- 

 gation is exceedingly effective, particularly in closed 

 rooms, where the dense smoke produced by it, which 

 is not at all disagreeable to human beings, soon kills 

 all insects, particularly those having tender or soft 

 bodies. This method ia especially valuable for the 

 purpose of killing mosquitos in rooms. All that is 

 necessary is to place a burning c<ial in a spoon or 

 other receptacle, and to sprinkle insect powder upon 

 it. In larger rooms, the spoon may be carried about, 

 or several may be thus used in order to distribute 

 the fumes properly. After a few minutes every mos- 

 quito will be found dead ; and, if the fumigation be 

 kept up for about half aa hour, the same fate will 

 have overtaken also — according to the author— any 

 fleas that might have been present. [He savs nothing 

 of bed-bugs, but it is certainly worth while to try 

 the above method for getting rid of this troublesome 



pest, which is spreading gradually into houses of 

 opulence and comfort, where such disgusting visitors 

 had been previously nnheard of ! — Ed. Am. Dr.] 



The third method of employment, in form of al- 

 coholic extract, is the most advantageous for use in 

 the fields and garden. 



The principal drawback connected with the use of 

 insect-powder is this, that its effect, when applied in 

 substance, is only certain when it comes in actual 

 contact with soft-bodied insects. In the case of hard- 

 bodied or haired insects it often produces only stupe- 

 faction for a time this drawback is to a great extent 

 removed by employing the alcoholic liquid extract, 

 which may be prepared by percolation, or, according 

 to the author, by macerating I lb. of insect-powder 

 for four or five days with 2 pints of alcohol in a warm 

 place, then separating the alcohol and adding 1 pint 

 of glycerin. This liquid extract is to be diluted with 

 water before use. For hard-bodied insects it may be 

 diluted with twenty parts, for more sensitive insects 

 with thirty to forty parts of water. If it is to be u.sed 

 out-of-doors it is self-evident that it should not be 

 applied while rain is threatening, nor during the hot 

 part of the day. The best time is early in the morn- 

 ing while the dew is on the ground, or durjng cloudy 

 day.s. 



If a decoction of insect-powder is desired, this may 

 be readily made by pouring boiling water upon it, and 

 macerating in a covered vessel until cold. 



In many cases a simple mixture of insect-powder 

 and water will be found quite effective. A good pro- 

 portion is, according to the author, ^ oz. to 2 gallons. 

 [This seems to be altogether too weak.] 



The decoction, however, is much more effective. It 

 must be used as soon after preparation as possible, 

 and at a time when its effect will not be interfered 

 with by the condition of the atmosphere. 



It should be stated that the majority of insects do 

 not die immediately after having come in contact with 

 insect-powder or one of its preparations. They are 

 at first only stupefied, but death usually ensues after 

 a few hours, and in some cases not until after several 

 days. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



THE UPAS TREE. 



BT REV, L. J. TEJrPLIN. 



Among all the deadly poisons of nature, that of 

 the Upas stands pre-eminent for its terrible viru- 

 lence. Much of fiction has gathered around this 

 subject, and wonderful stories have been told concerning 

 this tree. About 1775, a Dutch surgeon, Fcersch, 

 who had travelled extensively in .Tava, published an 

 account of the Upas poison valley. According to 

 this author, such were the deadly exhalations from 

 the Upas tree, that no living thing could exist nearer 

 than fifteen miles of the tree. That the whole country 

 within a radius of this distance of the locality where 

 the trees grew, was a lifeless, barren waste, strewn 

 with the bones of animals, birds and human 

 beings that had inadvertently ventured within the 

 deadly influence. The poison was obtained, we are 

 toll, in the following manner :— Criminals, condemned 

 to death, were given a chance for life and freedom, 

 on condition of their procuring some of the Upas 

 posion. An old priest lived on the confines of the 

 " vallej' of death," whose duty it was to prepare the 

 Upas hunters for their duties, and administer the 

 consolations of religion to them before they started 

 on their perilous journey. Here they rested till a 

 favorable wind blew towards the tree, when, furuised 

 with ;i leathern mask or cowl, and a box to contain 

 the poison, they set out on their dangerous mission. 

 If a man posse--sed a robust constitution aad vigorous 

 health, he might return in safety ; otherwise not. The 

 priest stated, that in the thirty years he had officiated, 

 only about one in ten who liad gone forth on this 

 errand, had returned alive. Nearly all of this has 

 been proven to be pure fiction. No such poisonous 

 exhalations taint the air for miles around, though 

 the deadly character of the juice of the tree has not 

 been, and cannot be, exaggerated. 



