178 The Spraying of Plants. 



VERATRUM ALBUM OR V. VIRIDE. See HELLEBORE. 



VERDET. See COPPER ACETATE. 



VERDIGRIS. See COPPER ACETATE. 



WASHES. Many washes have been recommended and used 

 for preventing injury from insects and fungi. The majority of 

 them consist largely of soapy materials, and if the applications 

 are accompanied by a rubbing of the affected parts good results 

 will follow, especially in destroying insects. But in such cases 

 the mechanical action is perhaps as effective as the material 

 applied. Clay has been used for centuries on account of the 

 benefits which are supposed to have followed its use when 

 mixed with water. It has been particularly recommended as 

 an agent for preventing the entrance of borers into trees, and 

 has been widely used for this purpose. The actual value of the 

 operation is probably not so great as is frequently stated, and 

 much profitless labor has undoubtedly been performed in this 

 direction. 



The following formula is inserted here not because it possesses 

 any marked value, but rather for the purpose of illustrating the 

 varied combinations of different substances which have been 

 used for the purpose of rendering these washes more efficient. 

 This one has been well recommended for preventing the en- 

 trance of borers into plum and peach trees, and it represents 

 but one of a considerable class of such remedies : 



Carbolic acid 1 quart. 



Soft soap 3 gallons. 



Lime 4 pounds. 



Water 40 gallons. 



Clay, enough to make a thick wash. 



This wash is very adhesive, and on this account has attracted 

 attention. 



WATER ; II 2 O. Water is used as an insecticide in three 

 different ways : as a means of drowning the insect, as a means 

 of forcibly dislodging and indirectly destroying it, and as a 

 conveyance for killing it by means of heat. The first method 

 is employed frequently in the culture of the cranberry, the 

 entire bog being flooded for a certain period, so that it is im- 

 possible for the insects to escape. European vineyardists make 

 use of the same expedient in treating their vines for the phyl- 



