EXPERIMENTS WITH INSECTICIDES. 7 



I. I tried the fluid on Gooseberry -bushes for red spider. It is 

 six days since I used it, and I can see absolutely no trace of any 

 damage done to leaf or blossom. I gave a Plum tree in full bloom 

 a thorough drenching, with apparently no ill effect, also a Gooseberry- 

 bush in the same stage. 



" The Apple tree I used it on was only partly out in leaf." 



" I feel sure it has done good, as the leaf looks brighter and 

 healthier all round." 



2. " Our trees never looked cleaner, you have discovered a valu- 

 able wash." 



3. " On Gooseberry sprayed yesterday evening with V 2 diluted 

 1-150, every Red 'Spider' I found is dead, as many as eight on one 

 leaf." 



4. " I don't think there are a dozen Suckers in the whole place, 

 the only one I found was on the branch I purposely did not spray, 

 and this on a tree known to be badly infested." 



5. " I have now given a good trial to the tin of spray fluid for 

 greenfly, etc., which you so kindly sent me a short time back. I found 

 it a very nice wash, and I think the best I have yet tried, as when 

 diluted with 150 parts of water, with the chill off, it killed most of 

 the fly on my Peach trees, without damaging the young leaves. What 

 flies were not killed were those the spray failed to get at." 



6. " I duly well sprayed Plum, Apple, and Gooseberry trees. . . . 

 I am free from insect pests. ... I do not perceive any damage to 

 foliage except a slight discolouration of the Victoria Plum trees, 

 whereas the Greengages do not show it at all. I shall do all fruit trees 

 again on Saturday." 



In both cases the material readily mixes with cold water, and with 

 the minimum amount of trouble. 



I may here state that it is absolutely necessary that the fluids go 

 through a somewhat complicated mechanical process, which it is not 

 possible for a private individual to carry out, except under great 

 expense, which would at once place the fluids beyond the cost that 

 a practical fruit-grower could afford to pay for a large area of trees. 



Early in the present year I found that the Cooper Research 

 Laboratory were working at the subject of Insecticides, and were experi- 

 menting with a fluid of a somewhat similar character. 



I also found that they had overcome the difficulties of combining 

 the various chemicals which it was necessary to employ in the manu- 

 facture of this fluid, so as to bring out its maximum insecticidal power 

 without injury to the trees. 



The mechanical and chemical processes which it is necessary for 

 the chemicals to undergo are somewhat complex, and demand the pos- 



