CHAPTER XX 
ECONOMIC VALUE OF FUMIGATION 
JFTER a most careful consideration of the sub- 
ject of fumigation with hydrocyanic acid gas 
from every point of view, the writer is of the 
opinion that it is indispensable in orchards, 
nurseries, greenhouses, mills, elevators, and various 
other enclosures where insect pests are to be destroyed. 
Nothing is more easily applied, and certainly no other 
material has been found so deadly to animal life. Its 
cheapness, quick diffusion, and thoroughness make it 
a practical remedy for ready use in many ways. In 
addition to the many methods cited, it can be used to 
good advantage for the destruction of animals, such as 
dogs, cats, etc., rounded up and captured in large 
cities. Such animals, including old or injured horses 
and cattle, could be easily and painlessly put to death 
by being enclosed in a room in which this gas could 
be generated. 
It is not beyond human possibility that it may 
supersede the primitive method of hanging and the 
more modern idea of electrocuting criminals. Cells or 
death chambers could be made in any enclosure in 
which hydrocyanic acid gas could be easily generated, 
and the occupant painlessly and instantly put to death, 
without any of the horrors accompanying the gallows 
and electric chair. From the humanitarian point of 
view it certainly deserves consideration. 
221 
