310 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



f (/) Poisons mixed witli flour, gypsum, and rosin. 

 I (fj) Poisons mixed Tvitli flour, gypsum, and dextrine. 

 I (/() Poisous mixed witli flour, gypsum, rosin, and dextrine, 

 B. — Dry. ■{ (i) Poisons mixed -with gypsum, rosin, and dextrine. 

 I {k) Poisons mixed with gypsum and rosin. 

 I (l) Poisous mixed witli gyi)8uiii and dextrine. 

 I. (wi) Poisons mixed with gypsum. 



All of ray wet poisons were applied by use of Wliitman's fountain-pump No. 2. Wliere 

 small quantities were used, one man carried a 2-gallon water-bucket, and another 

 preceded liim, working the pump. Where larger quantities were used, a 40-gallon 

 barrel was placed in a four-wheeled wagon, with wheels 5 feet apart and the lowest 

 axle 23 inches from the ground. This was drawn by two mules, being made to 

 straddle one rt)w of cotton, the mules walking in the farrows that the wheels ran in. 

 One man drove the wagon, and two others, provided with fountain-pumps, distributed 

 the poison contained in the barrel, wetting nine rows for each trip across the field. 

 Meantime, one or two other men, with a two-horse wagon containing several smaller 

 barrels, were engaged in carrying water from a pond to the ends of the rows of cotton, 

 where it was transferred to the distributing wagon. With these two pumps worked 

 slowly, the mules walking very slowly, we found that a barrel of water went over 

 about three acres of cotton, wetting it fairly, but not so well as was to be desired. 

 The men were therefore made to work the pumps faster, so that a banel lasted for 

 two acres. Not satisfied with this, we enlarged the holes in the rose-nozzle a little, 

 BO that without materially diminishing the force of the pump we were able to apply 

 a barrel of fluid to the acre.* In this way about 30 acres a day may bo poisoned by 

 four hands aud four mules. 



My dry poisons were applied by a sieve made of a 2-quart tin. backet, the bottom of 

 which was replaced by perforated tin, and which was provided with a socket at the 

 Bide for the insertion of a wooden handle about three feet long. 



My experiments with dry poisons were not extensive enough for me to determine 

 accurately the amount of labor required to poison an acre ; but Mr. Lide, the manager 

 of George O. Baker's plantation at Selma, A!a., tells me that a hand can poison fi'om 

 one to two acres of cotton per day. He tells me, further, that one barrel of Royall's 

 mixture goes over about three acres. 



Before giving details of the experiments, I may briefly state the conclusions to which 

 they led me, as follows : As an insecticide I prefer Paris green to any other substance 

 used, and find it less likely to injure the cotton than any other. Next to this I should 

 place commercial arsenic (arsenious oxide, As2 Og), though this is more likely to scorch 

 the cotton than the preceding. I should place Loudon purple next in the list, as being 

 less valuable as a poison and more liable to injure the cotton. Fowler's solution of 

 arsenic (arsenious oxide dissolved in a solution of sodium or potassium carbonate in 

 water) serves fairly as an insecticide, but my experience is that it is very liable to 

 injure the cotton, probably owing to the alkaline nature of the solution^ A consider- 

 able quantity of the mixture known as the Texas Cotton-Worm Destroyer was used, 

 the directions accomi)anying the package being followed; but I failed to obtain satis- 

 factory results from its 'use in any trial. Oil of turpentine, kerosene, and carbolic 

 acid in water were applied, but when applied so as to till the catei-xiillars I found 

 that they always injured the idant. 



The cheapest mode of applying the poisons is undonbledly in the wet form ; and I 

 find that they adhere as well when suspended in pure water as when paste is used, 

 though this aids in their suspension. Whenever a solid is used in suspension, frequent 

 stirring is needed to keep it evenly distributed through the water. In Royali's patent 

 the flour is supposed to act as a diluent ; the rosin, to melt by the heat of the sun and 

 thus affix the poison to the leaves of the plant ; the dextrine, to melc and gum the 

 poison to the leaves under the action of water, either as dew or rain. My experiments ^ 

 showed me that flour alone adhered nearly as long as this mixture ; and even that it 

 might be replaced in part by gypsum or land plaster, but that gy))sum alone, or re- 

 placing all of the flour in Royall's patent, was removed by the first rain as a general 

 thing. The reason for this is that the first dew converts the flour into a paste, which 

 becomes attached to the leaf, and considerable rain is needed to dissolve aud remove 

 it. I find that one pound of Paris green, applied in forty gallons of water to an aero 

 of cotton, will kill the worms to a certainty without injuring the cotton to any appre- 

 ciable extent, provided there is no rain on it for several days ; but the dry prison, 

 using about twice as much Paris green to the acre, is equally certain and safe, and 

 will withstand far more rain, even if merely mixed with flour. Owiiig to the cost of 

 the flour, however, and the greater cost of applying it, the dry poison is far more ex- 

 pensive than the wet. * 



* It is far better to employ the larger size of pmnp, which, from its greater capacity, 

 distributes more water than the one used by me, aad with less labor. 



