232 The Spraying of Plants. 



obliged to eat at one meal eight or ten barrels of the fruit in 

 order to consume enough arsenic to cause any injury. As a 

 matter of fact, however, the poison all disappears during the 

 growth of the apples, and these are as wholesome as if no 

 treatment had been made, or even more so. 



Similar objections have also been raised in the case of grapes 

 sprayed with the Bordeaux mixture. In the fall of 1891, the 

 board of health of New York city seized considerable quantities 

 of grapes which showed the presence of Bordeaux mixture, and 

 threw them into the river. The following report of the board 

 appeared after an investigation had been made : 



" 1. A copper salt is found only upon a very small part of the 

 grapes offered for sale, and the grapes which are to be avoided 

 are easily recognized by the greenish-colored substance upon 

 the berries and sterns. 



"2. Whenever the substance is apparent upon the berries or 

 stems, the grapes should be washed before they are used as 

 food or in the manufacture of wine. 



" 3. The board urges all dealers and consignors in this city 

 to advise shippers and consignors of grapes to send no more 

 grapes to the market upon which this substance is apparent. 

 The board further states that it does not object to the use of 

 Bordeaux mixture as recommended by the proper authorities; 

 but such mixture, or any mixture containing poisonous sub- 

 stances, should not be sprayed or otherwise placed upon the grapes 

 immediately before or after they have matured, and should not 

 appear upon them when sent to market or offered for sale." 



This subject is equally interesting from a hygienic stand- 

 point, for whether grapes are sold in the open market or not, 

 their effect upon the consumer should be understood. The 

 following paragraph is a clear and concise statement of the 

 facts bearing upon the question : J " Accepting, then, 0.5 gram 

 as the maximum amount of copper in any of the forms dis- 

 cussed that may with safety be daily absorbed, let us see how 

 these figures compare with the quantity of this metal found 

 in connection with properly sprayed fruits, as well as some 

 other foods and drinks. Analyses to determine the amount 

 of copper in sprayed grapes have been made in Germany, 

 France, America, and other countries. The results of all these 



1 U. 8. Dept. Agric. Farmers? Bulletin No. 7, 19. 



