WINTER MOTH. 69 
‘The soap, first finely divided, is dissolved in the water by boiling, 
and then added boiling hot, away from the fire, to the kerosene. The 
whole mixture is then agitated violently, by being pumped back upon 
itself with a force pump and direct-discharge nozzle, throwing a strong 
stream, preferably one-eighth inch in diameter. After about five 
minutes’ pumping, the emulsion should be perfect, and the mixture 
will have increased from one-third to one-half in bulk, and assumed 
the consistency of cream. It should adhere to glass without oiliness. 
Well made, the emulsion will keep indefinitely, or may be diluted for 
immediate application. 
«The use of whale-oil soap, especially if the emulsion is to be kept 
for any length of time, is strongly recommended, not only because the 
soap possesses considerable insecticide value itself, but because the 
emulsion made with it is more permanent, and does not lose its creamy 
consistency, and is always easily diluted, whereas with most of the 
other common soaps the mixture becomes cheesy after a few days, and 
needs reheating to mix with water. Soft-soap answers very well, and 
one quart of it may be taken in lieu of the hard soaps. 
‘In limestone regions, or where the water is very hard, some of 
the soap will combine with the lime or magnesia in the water, and 
more or less of the oil will be freed, especially when the emulsion is 
diluted. Before using, such water should be broken with lye, or rain- 
water used; but better than either, use the milk emulsion, with which 
the character of the water, whether hard or soft, does not affect the 
result,”’ * 
In some cases where there is difficulty as to application of regular 
arsenical or other sprayings, fairly drenching (thoroughly washing 
down) the infested trees with water alone will do good. When attack 
is passing away it does much good, for it cleans off quantities of dirt 
and rubbish, and the copious watering of the ground in dry weather 
helps much towards giving the leafage a new start. Where there was 
plentiful supply of water at hand, and the use of a house fire-engine 
was procurable, I have known this answer well; only in such violent 
application the water should be sent rather at the trunk and main 
boughs, and allowed to rebound at the leafage rather than be sent 
directly at it, which might complete the destruction of the remains 
which had escaped the caterpillars. 
Where there is some tree which for special reasons—legal, pic- 
turesque, or otherwise—it is important to save from ravage, and which 
is of too great a height to be cleared by ordinary spraying-engines, the 
above method will probably be found serviceable. If it should be 
found that the fallen caterpillars show signs of being able to crawl 
* «Catalogue and Price List of Spraying-pumps, &c., with Recipes for Insecti- 
cides and Fungicides,’ pp. 16,17. Deming Company, Salem, Ohio, U.S.A. 
