No. 4.] MARKET GARDENING. 105 



Since I rose to my feet, it occurs to me that a gentleman 

 is here who tried the most convincing experiments on that 

 point. Mr. Kirkland made an experiment mider our di- 

 rection that I think will settle the matter in your minds. 



Mr. A. H. KiKKLAND (of Maiden). I will only say that 

 under the direction of the gypsy moth committee I made a test 

 in this matter of arsenate of lead, which adheres to the foli- 

 age in a much more marked degree than Paris green. Arse- 

 nate of lead contains arsenic. We sprayed a pear tree very 

 heavily with arsenate of lead, used, I believe, at the rate of 

 twelve and a half pounds to one hundred and fifty gallons of 

 water, — ten times as strong as you would use Paris green. 

 The spray ran down on the grass so that it was fairly white. 

 We had hired an old horse at the MuUer Brothers' tannery in 

 Cambridge, where they kill horses for their hides. We cut 

 the grass and fed it to the horse. We gave him two feed- 

 ings a day, and kept him about a week. The people at the 

 tannery said the horse was more frisky and felt better after 

 eating the grass than before. 



One word in regard to grapes. Dr. Goessmanu analyzed 

 some grapes under the conditions referred to. He found 

 that a man, to eat sufficient grapes to poison himself, would 

 have to take, if I remember rightly, several bushels at a 

 sitting. 



Mr. Kinney. There are two things to be considered in 

 this connection. Where j^ou have good apparatus and know 

 your business, there probably is not the slightest danger in 

 using the arsenicals. But the farmer who has nothing more 

 than a pail and a whisk broom frequently gets the poison on 

 in bunches. With the best apparatus I would not be afraid 

 to eat anything that had been sprayed, because the particles 

 are so fine. I know, if the poison is not put on with good 

 apparatus, it is liable to be put on in bunches. With good 

 apparatus it is practically harmless. 



Dr. Fernald. One point raised by Mr. Smith deserves 

 mention. He spoke of the feeling of the buyers of cab- 

 bage ao:ainst the use of arsenicals. I would like to sav that 

 I am acquainted with gentlemen who are supplying New 

 York and Philadelphia markets with thousands of heads of 

 cabbage each year. They told me that they are continually 



