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Composition and Adulteration. 



The emplo^-meut of insecticides in combating and check- 

 ing the ravages of the cotton worm, has V)een generally 

 practiced in the cotton growing sections of the South for 

 many years, and where proper precautions have been ob- 

 served, with undoubted success. 



The materials which are almost exclusively utilized by 

 the cotton planter as insect poisons are Paris Green, 

 and London Purple, though the consumption of the former 

 far exceeds that of the latter. 



While these substances have been so generally employed 

 for such a long period of time, but little attention has been 

 paid to the quality and purity of the materials purchased 

 for use as insecticides, and it is not at all surprising that 

 frauds and adulterations are occasionally found upon the 

 market. 



With a view to determining whether or not such adultera- 

 tions or falsifications had been practiced upon goods of 

 this class for sale in this State, an attempt was made to 

 secure samples of Paris Green and London Purple from 

 all sections of the State. A large number of circular letters, 

 calling for samples of these insecticides, were sent out to 

 parties in all portions of the State, and it was expected that 

 quite a number of specimens would be obtained in this 

 way. But few replies, and still fewer samples were re- 

 ceived, however, and the investigation has consequently 

 been more limited in scope than was originally intended. 



With one exception, the samples came from the "black 

 belt," where the employment of Paris Green, has been much 

 more extensive than on the hill lands ; in fact in some of 



