282 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[October i, 1884. 



ROSE -WATER. 

 Ghazipore is famous for its rose-water and atar of roses. 

 All area of about 160 acres is cultivated with the Rosa 

 daitmscinu, each acre containing about 1.600 plants. The 

 outturn amounts to between 50,000 and 100,000 plants 

 per acre, the price of which varies from SO to 110 rupees 

 per Id; (100,000). The Mowers are plucked in March and 

 April, and the rose-water is distilled in the familiar but 

 clumsy apparatus of the native distiller, the cultivator 

 himself being rarely the manufacturer. A thousand roses 

 will give a seer (2 tb.) of good rose-water, which sells 

 at ljr. Rose-water distilled a second, third, or even a 

 fourth time fetches naturally a much higher price. The 

 atar of roses is the only extract which floats on condensed 

 distilled rose-water, exposed to the night air in a large 

 copper vessel with a thin cottou cloth over it; ami is 

 collected in the morning with pigeous' feathers, and placed 

 in phials. The phial is then exposed to the sun for a 

 few days, and every particle of water evaporated ; the 

 pure oil, or atar of roses, thus left sells at lOOr. to 125r. 

 per tola (7S0 grains troy). This exquisite perfume is, 

 however, only made to order, and the produce each year 

 rarely exceeds 5 or 6 tolas. The ordinary bazaar atar 

 is prepared by pouuding sandal-wood, mixing it with water, 

 and then distilling with roses in the usual manner. The 

 best quality of this sells for lOr. per tola, while inferior 

 sorts may be had for a fifth even of this price. — Chemist 

 and 'Druggist. 



THE USE OF NAPHTHALINE AS AX 

 INSECTICIDE* 



Naphthaline, in one form or another, has for some time 

 been used by entomologists as a means of preventing injury 

 to their collections from acari, psoci, dermestes. anthreni. 

 and other museum pests. My own experience is that it 

 destroys the acari and psoci. but not the other pests, though 

 it tends to repel them. Recent investigations would seem to 

 indicate that it may be used to advantage in the field as an 

 Underground insecticide. It appears that as early as 1842 a 

 French physician, Rossignon, pointed out the possible use 

 of naphthaline not only as a remedial agency in medical 

 practice, but also as a substitute for camphor for the de- 

 struction of museum pests. But up to the appearance of 

 the grape phylloxera in France no serious experiments were 

 made with it in the field. Atnoug the substances tried 

 againsl this pest naphthaline played its part. The efficient 

 ingredient in the "poudre insectivore" of Peyrat, was, 

 according to Maurice Girard. naphthaliue ; but the experi- 

 ments with it did not yield encouraging results. 



Baudet recommended it to the French Academy in 1872, 

 while in 1874 E. Fallieres proposed gypsum saturated with 

 naphthaline, the mixture to be distributed over the soil. It 

 was also among the numerous substances experimented with 

 by Messrs. Maxime Cornn and P. Mouillefert, the results 

 of which were published in the well-known memoir pre- 

 sented by these gentlemen to the French Academy in 1877. 

 Naphthaline, up to this time, prove to be of little value in 

 killing the insect, and of no value as a repellant. Never- 

 theless. Dr. Ernst Fischer, of the Strassburg University, 

 encouraged and induced by the most favourable results ob- 

 tained with uaphaline as au antiseptic and as a destroyer 

 of micro-organisms (moulds, scbizomycetes, bacteria, etc.), 

 lias, since 1881, again experimented with it as a direct remedy 

 for the phylloxera, and he has given us the results of his ex- 

 perience in an interesting brochure lately received. The first 

 part of Dr. Fischer's work treats of, and strongly re- 

 commends, the use of naphthaline for surgical, purposes as 

 an antiseptic superior, in most respects, to all other antiseptics 

 now in use. His conclusions are based on extensive experi- 

 ments showing the effect of the material on the lower or- 

 ganisms, and prove that, properly used, it not only arrests 

 the growth of these micro-organisms but eventually destroys 

 them. This part of the work will be of especial interest to 

 those who are experimenting with a view of destroying 

 disease-germs. It is to the Becoud part that I would here 



* ' Das Naphtalin in der Heilkunde und in der Land- 

 wirthschaft.' Von Dr. Med. Ernst Fischer. Strassburg: 

 Tiulmer. 1888. Reprinted from the Oil, Paint and l<,nq 

 Reporter, May 14, 1S84. 



call attention. Preliminary to a statement of the results of 

 this part of Dr. Fischer's work a few facts in regards to the 

 nature of the substance may not be out of place. 



Naphthaline, a carbohydrate of the formula C„,H, was 

 hist made in 1820, by Garden, from coal tar. It is volatile 

 at any temperature, melts at 70-' c ('.. boils at about 214 ° 

 <-'., and has a specific gravity of about 11. Essentially in- 

 soluble iu water, alkalies and diluted acids, it is easily 

 soluble in ether, hot alcohol, hot concentrated sulphuric 

 acid ami in many volatile and rich oils. It is readily carried 

 off with aqueous vapours, so that in order to quickly dis- 

 infect a room, it is only necessary to heat a vessel with 

 water in which naphthaline has been put. The naphthaliue 

 gas mixes very readily with atmospheric air, and is also 

 readily taken up by water. It is not poisonous to man or 

 to the higher animals, and for surgical purposes should be 

 used chemically pure. The crude material is by far cheaper, 

 and upon inquiry Dr. Fischer found that in London it 

 can be obtained, without barrels, at 25 marks (6 dollars) 

 per 1,000 kilograms (about 2,200 pounds) iu Paris at 100 

 francs, and in Cologne at about 45 marks (barrels included i. 

 The crude naphthaline contains more or less phenol and 

 creasote, and is a stronger insecticide than the purified 

 article, but also more injurious to plants. Dr. Fischer used 

 the purified naphthaline iu his experiments on phylloxera, 

 but thinks that with some precaution the crude material 

 might safely be used, especially if it is uot brought in 

 direct contact with the plant, or if used in the dormant 

 season. 



The experiments with phylloxerized grape vines were 

 carried on under direction of Dr. Fischer at La Grave 

 d' Ambares, near Bordeaux. Fifteeu badly infested stocks* 

 partly growing on light, partly on heavy soil, were treated in 

 April, 1883. 



It was placed in a hole dug in the ground near the main 

 root, and subsequently covered up ; and the quantity used 

 was on some plants one, and on others one-half kilogram. 

 On September 18th, the plants were examined with the follow- 

 ing result:— All plants experimented with, but especially 

 those treated with the largest quantity of naphthaline, 

 showed a new and healthy growth of numerous long, fine 

 rootlets, which were perfectly free from phylloxera ; in fact, 

 the phylloxera had entirely disappeared from the roots of 

 all plants experimented with, whereas several plants not 

 treated with naphthaliue showed no young growth of root- 

 lets and an abundance of phylloxera. The growth above 

 ground of the plants treated showed no difference as com- 

 pared with plants not treated— a fact explained by in- 

 sufficient time for the treated plants to recuperate. Some 

 of the most vigorous new rootlets were found to have pene- 

 trated the layer of naphthaline, thus showing that the 

 latter has no injurious influence upon them. A considerable 

 quantity of the naphthaline was found unchanged at the 

 date of examination, which shows that the evaporation is 

 very slow, and that its effects will be correspondingly lasting. 



The results are certified to by official affidavits, and were 

 more marked on plants growing in heavier and moister 

 ground than on those in light and gravelly soil. 



As the most convenient mode of application, Dr. Fischer 

 recommends that about 1 kilogram of the naphthaline be 

 put in a trench dug around the plant a few inches from 

 the stock ; the trench, to be not less than from 15 to 20 

 centimetres deep, and to be at once filled up again. He 

 attributes the failure of former experiments : 1. To the 

 small quantity of the material employed. 2. To its being 

 employed too near the surface of ground, so as to permit 

 evaporation in the air. He also thinks that results were 

 expected after too short a lapse of time.— Pharama, eutical 

 Journal. 



Cinchona Cultkre in Java.— From the report 

 which we have had translated and which appear* on 

 page 262, it will be seen that wild competition for 

 Ledgeriana seed in Java had ceased, that a new 

 fungus had appeared on the cinchona, and that attacks of 

 Helopetis Antonii on Ledgers had been combated by 

 arrangements made to capture the insects. 



* It is not stated whether the roots of these stocks were 

 examined at the time, to ascertain whether or not the 

 phylloxera was still at work. 



