TURNIP APHIS. 179 



and boil briskly for a few minutes until the soap is tlioronghly 

 dissolved. While boiling add paraffin, or any similar mineral 

 oil, and boil for a minute or two longer, when the whole will 

 be thoroughly amalgamated. The strength of the solution of 

 course depends on the amount of mineral oil in it, and it can 

 be easily reduced to the proper power by mixing it with soft 

 water as it is wanted for use." — (A. S.) 



Paraffin oil, in the proportion of one wine glassful (that is 

 half a gill) to one gallon of water, is considered strong enough 

 to kill Aphides. 



The mixture would, as matter of course, require to be tested 

 as to effect on leafage before trying it on a large scale. 



I was indebted for the recipe to Mr. Malcolm Dunn, Super- 

 intendent of the Duke of Buccleugh's gardens at Dalkeith, 

 Scotland, where the recipe was regularly used, and considered 

 safe and serviceable, and Mr. Dunn especially noted that the 

 important point is the proportion of the soap and water : — 

 " Eiglit jjarts water and one part soft-soap thoroucjldy amal- 

 gamated form the lye which takes mineral oil, and thoroughly 

 amalgamates with whatever proportion of this maybe added, — 

 that is to say, the paraffin may be put into the boiling soap 

 and water in any quantity, and the whole will mix together of 

 an equal strength throughout. Heat helps much in quickly 

 producing thorough amalgamation of all the ingredients, and 

 hence I have stated that they should be mixed in a boiling 

 state."— {M. D.) 



In my own use of this recipe I did not mix the paraffin in 

 whilst the soft-soap was absolutely boiling, for fear of danger 

 of the mineral oil igniting over the fire ; but as my own work 

 was on the small scale of garden-work, I followed the plan of 

 Mr. Dunn's method of mixing, only using the word " hot " for 

 "boiling": — "In practice I boil the proper proportions of 

 soap and water together, and when ready I fill this into 

 ordinary wine-bottles, which have been placed in boiling 

 water. The bottles are about half-filled with the lye, and 

 then the paraffin is poured into them, two gills being put into 

 each bottle. The bottles are then filled up with the boiling 

 lye, corked at once, and stored away for use. 



"When required for use a bottle of the mixture is poured 

 into a four-gallon watering-pot, which is filled up with soft 

 water, and is ready for use, at a strength of one wine-glass of 

 j)araffin {lialf a gill) to one gallon of water." — (M. D.) 



For field use the mixture would of course be prepared, and 

 diluted to requisite strength on a large scale, but where needed 

 for garden use there is a convenience in having a store at 

 hand in small quantities of a definite amount and strength of 

 fluid, so that all that need be attended to previous to appli- 



n2 



