200 



Sage tea is obtained by steeping 1 lb. of chopped leaves and stems 

 of the common prairie sage bush of Oregon {Artemisia tridentata) in 

 1 U.S. gal. water. The sage is added to the boiling water and the vessel 

 covered and allowed to stand for 12 hours or more. The liquid then 

 drawn off is an oily emulsion-like fluid. The casein-lime mixture is 

 obtained by adding to 3| grams of quicklime 1| grams of powdered 

 casein. This is ground in a mortar to a homogeneous mass, of which 

 4 to 8 oz. is required to give the spreading qualities desired to 100 

 U.S. gals, of spray. 



MooEE (W.) & Geaham (S. a.), a Study of the Toxicity of Kerosene. 

 —Jl. Econ. Entom., Concord, N.H., xi, no. 1, February 1918, 

 pp. 70-75. 



While kerosene and its emulsions have been in general use as 

 insecticides for many years, the results obtained in using this material 

 have been so variable that within recent years it has largely been 

 abandoned in the United States. In the investigations recorded in 

 this paper it was found that kerosene varies greatly in its physical 

 characteristics and its chemical composition, even when coming from 

 the same oil-field. For these experiments five different oils were 

 obtained and each was fractionally distilled into four parts. The 

 results of the various tests are tabulated. Low boiling point fractions 

 of kerosene proved in general more toxic to plants than high boiling 

 point fractions when used pure. Injury by fractions with low 

 boiling points can however be largely prevented if they are applied 

 in the form of an emulsion, the emulsion holding the oil away from 

 the plant until it has evaporated. Emulsification of high boiling 

 point fractions does not give this protection since the oil remains on 

 the leaf after the emulsion is destroyed. Low boiling point fractions 

 are more toxic to insects in the form of vapour than high boiling 

 point ones, owing to the slight volatility of the higher fractions. High 

 boiling point compounds are more toxic than low boiling point com- 

 pounds when used as contact insecticides in the form of an emulsion. 

 Certain types of kerosene can be used pure upon certain plants under 

 favourable climatic conditions without injury, and while the use of 

 kerosene is always uncertain, certain forms of considerable value as 

 insecticides and of very slight toxicity to plants can be manufactured. 

 They should be prepared for this particular purpose and to meet an 

 insecticide test rather than a flash test. 



Howard (N. F.). U.S. Bur. Entom. Insecticide Tests with Diabrotica 

 vittata. — Jl. Econ. Entom., Concord, N.H., xi, no. 1, February 

 1918, pp. 75-79. 



Experiments in the control of Diabrotica vittata (striped cucumber 

 beetle) were made on a large scale in 1916 at Wisconsin, with a view 

 to eliminating the mosaic disease, in the dissemination of which this 

 insect is supposed to be an important factor. Bordeaux mixture 

 (2:4: 50) with lead arsenate paste (4 : 50) was applied to all cucurbits 

 in an isolated area where the beetles were extremely abundant, and the 

 treatment continued every 7 to 10 days during the first half of the 

 season. It was soon apparent that the control of the beetle was far 



