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CHAPTER XX 

 ECONOMIC VALUE OF FUMIGATION 



FTER 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. 



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