POISON BAITS 43 



ing. Several commercial mixtures of prepared Bordeaux combined 

 with arsenate of lead are on the market. 



6. White Hellebore is not poisonous to human beings, but 

 deadly if eaten by insects, and is very useful if used fresh. It 

 loses its strength rapidly when exposed to the air. It is a product 

 of the white hellebore plant and is generally used in the dry form, 

 by dusting it over the plant. It may be made into a decoction 

 (one ounce in two quarts of water) by steeping, and used as a spray. 



7. Proprietary Insecticides. Under this head are classed quite 

 a number of compounds with attractive names, but of questionable 

 utility. Many of them are valueless, or, if of any merit, cost three 

 or four times as much as a farmer need pay. 



8. Poison Baits. Attractive baits may be made which con- 

 tain poison: 



Poison Bran Mash. This is very effective against cut- worms, 

 army worms, and grasshoppers. It is made as follows : Paris green 

 is mixed with dry bran until the latter becomes quite green. Pro- 

 portions approximate one pound Paris green to 20 or 25 pounds of 

 bran. To this dry mass are then added water and about two quarts 

 of cheap syrup or molasses and the mixture stirred. It should be 

 of the consistency of chicken feed, not sloppy. For cut-worms a 

 tablespoonful of this is placed near a plant, perhaps eight inches 

 away. If placed too close, a copious rain may wash the Paris green 

 onto the roots, destroying the plant. For both cut- worms and 

 army worms covering large areas, it is broadcast among plants, or, 

 from a tub on a stoneboat, over fields infested with grasshoppers. 



Dean, of Kansas, recommends, for grasshoppers, adding the 

 juice and pulp of three oranges or lemons to a mixture of one pound 

 Paris green, twenty pounds wheat bran, two quarts of syrup and 

 three and one-half gallons of water. Some workers, however, 

 claim that the addition of the fruit does not make any material 

 difference in the attractiveness 'of the bait. 



For cut-worms, where Paris green is too expensive or not pro- 

 curable, ten pounds of bran may be poisoned with one pound of 

 arsenic, mixed into a dough with water and where practicable with 

 molasses or cheap syrup. 



A bait made of alfalfa or clover, freshly cut and dipped into a 

 solution of arsenic and water and distributed in small bunches at 

 sundown or after, is quite effective against cut-worms. It may also 

 be used against prairie dogs. When dried by the sun this bait is 

 not attractive. 



