342 Wisconsin Statb HoRTicuiiXUBAL Society. 



foreign matter that they afford both manufacturer and dealer 

 much larger profits than the pure substance would, and, while the 

 close buyer flatters himself that he has bought as much for twenty- 

 five cents as his neighbor has for forty cents or fifty cents, if the 

 two articles were properly tested it would usually be found that 

 the purchaser of the higher priced article had received by far the 

 most value for his money, as the difference in strength is some- 

 times two or three times in favor of the pure substance. The 

 buyer of the cheap grades often finds that Paris green is a hum- 

 bug, that the beetles eat it with impunity, and that while he has 

 supplemented his twenty-five cent purchase with one or two 

 dollars' worth of labor he has accomplished but little, while the 

 less penurious man, having entirely cleaned his potato patch for 

 the time being, is well satisfied with the results of his work. 

 Further, the user of the lower grades of Paris green finds it 

 necessary, in order to accomplish anything, to apply the sub- 

 stance freely, which leads to another evil, for when he gets a 

 really good article he is likely, in mixing it, to use it two or three 

 times as strong as there is any need for, and by so doing some- 

 times scorches his vines, and then condemns the Paris green on 

 this account. 



If a pure article of Paris green is procured it will bear a large 

 amount of dilution. If mixed with any dry material, such as 

 plaster, flour, or ashes, it should have from forty to fifty times its 

 weight of the diluting material. But it is far better and more 

 convenient to use it with water, and a tea-spoonful of the poison 

 to a pailful of water is quite sufficient. With a pail in one hand 

 and a broom corn whisk in the other a man can dip into the pail, 

 keep the powder uniformly diffused in the water, by the frequent 

 introduction of the whisk, and sprinkle the vines almost as fast as 

 he can walk along the rows, and do this in any but wet weather, 

 at any time in the day, and with far less material than it would 

 require if used in any other maimer; besides, all the risk which 

 arises from inhailing the dust is avoided. Used in this way, or 

 with a syringe, Paris green will be found effectual in destroying 

 almost every form of caterpillar which devours the leaves of fruits, 

 plants or flowers. 



