-4- 



Tho activG ingredients of these plants wore originally knovm as fish 

 poisons end wore used as such by the native Indians. By pounding the roots in 

 a small quantity of water a rnilky solution vro,s produced which, when placed in a 

 pool, brought tho fish to the surface in a paralyzed condition. The Indians 

 ate those fish vdth no ill effects, and it vra.s thus discovered that tho rctcnono 

 was poisonous to cold blooded animals but relatively harmless to nan and other 

 warm blooded aninials. 



Rotonone is available in insecticides as both sprays and dusts. For 

 spraying, tho rotenonc is extracted and enulsified in a liquid. The rotcnono 

 content of these extracts is about 1 per cent and this is generally diluted in 

 water at tho rate of 1-100 to 1-800, depending on the posts. Those sprays kill 

 worms, moths, and beetles, as well as plant lico, and at tho greatest concentra- 

 tion give vory good control of the rod spider. They constitute one of the best 

 general purpose insecticides available and are especially satisfactory for use 

 in the greenhouse. An effective spray can also be prepared by putting 4 to 6 

 pounds of powdered derris or cube root in each 100 gallons of water. This re- 

 quires the addition of a wetting agent such as sulfated alcohol, but prepared 

 powder is now available for this purpose. Sprays of this kind are more adapted 

 to outdoor conditions v/here dusting equipment is not available. Rotcnono and 

 other active ingredients of derris and cube are brokon dovm by light and, there- 

 fore, are effective only 4 or 5 days after application. If continuous protection 

 is necessary, they should be aipplied at least each v/eok, or more often if v;ashed 

 by heavy rains . It has also been found that tho of f octivenoss of rotenono is 

 decreased greatly by alkaline materials. Therefore, it should not be used v/ith 

 limo as a carrier for the dust, nor in a spray containing lime such as Bordeaux 

 Mixture or Limo Sulfur. Sulfur, an acid forming material, can be used to some 

 extent since it appears to activate tho rotenono but at tho same time shortens 

 its period of effectiveness. The most satisfactory carriers for rotenono dust 

 are clay, gypsum, or Fuller's earth. Those are used by mcijiuf acturcrs and gon- 

 orally aro available where materials for home mixing are supplied. 



W. D. Vi/hitcomb 

 Stray Thoughts 



Quoting from Connecticut Pomological Pointers, "The development of 

 European Red Mite has been very slow this year due to unfavorable weather and 

 abundance of natural enemies. Jfi-tes have been conspicuous by their absence in 

 most orchards visited. If they do develop, it is difficult to see hov/ they can 

 be of great importance before August." 



In order to effect pollination, assuming a colony of boos to the aero of 

 orchard, each bee in a 15,000-boo colony v/ould have to visit 40 to 80 blossoms, 

 while a bee in a 25,000-boe colony v/ould have to visit only 15 to 30 blossoms, 

 according to Tennessee Horticulture. 1/Vith an avoragc of 7,500 blossoms per tree, 

 there are between 200,000 uxnd 400,000 blossoms por acre. The normal hive in 

 spring may contain from 13,000 to 25,000 bees, but it is ostimatod that 10,000 

 inside workers are required to "do the housework," leaving only 5,000 of a 

 15,000-boe colony to bo spared for field work. V/ith a slightly larger colony, 

 say 25,000, there would bo around 15,000 boos for field work. 



A Nov/ York apple grov/er submitted this problem to the Rural Nov/ Yorker, 

 "I am having quite a bit of difficulty in getting color on Mcintosh. I an 

 planning to apply 10 lbs. of potash per troo, and tho same amount of nitrate of 

 soda. The trees aro 25 years of age in sod." H. B. Tukcy of Geneva replied in 

 part as follows, "Although there is an old saying that 'potash paints fruit' yet 

 there is no experimental evidence to support this statement. Color of fruit is 



