POISONOUS METALS ON SPRAYED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 



9 



In 1898 Hoffmann reported (62) the presence of from 0.0046 to 

 0.0128 gram of copper per liter in wines, but failed to give the history 

 of the samples. Later he reported 0.00096 and 0.0058 gram of copper 

 per liter in wine. 0.0028 and 0.0056 gram of copper per liter in must, 

 0.0027 and 0.0045 gram of copper per liter in grape-skin wine, and 

 0.053 gram of copper per 100 grams in the grape skins. 



Selby found (117) 0.0004 gram of copper per 100 grams of grapes 

 to be the maximum amount on the samples he examined. To show 

 that sprayed grapes can be safely used for making wine he cites 

 Kriiger (69), " that in the different musts different amounts of copper, 

 at the beginning of fermentation, or just before the beginning, enter 

 into an insoluble and consequently an inert (copper) compound, in 

 consequence of the presence of greater or less amounts of organic 

 acids. From this condition it is likely that the copper of the must, 

 arising from the spraying of the grapes, is without any importance- 

 for the wine." 



Gibbs and James (57) reported that 292 of 352 samples of wine 

 examined contained no arsenic, 58 contained from a trace to 1 part 

 in 8,000,000, 1 contained 1 part in 5,000,000, and another 1 part in 

 2,500,000. They stated also that of 200 samples of wine examined 

 by C. S. Ash the three highest in arsenic contained 1 part in 6,000,000, 

 1 part in 8,000,000, and 1 part in 14,000,000. ''The most probable 

 sources of the major part of that found are arsenical sprays when used 

 upon the vines, sulphur burned for the purpose of sulphuring the 

 wines and receptacles, and perhaps to some extent the lead shot used 

 in cleaning the bottles." A sample of sulphur from a California 

 winery was found to contain' arsenic in the proportion of 1 part in 

 5,000. It is not stated whether these wines were the product of 

 sprayed vines. 



In 1906 Koger Mares (82) reported that he found no trace of 

 arsenic in wine from a vine treated a month before grape gathering 

 with a copper-arsenical mixture, and he accordingly continued to 

 recommend this combined mixture as a spray for the vines in Algiers. 

 The same year Von der Heide (61) reported the results shown in 

 Table 2 on products of vines that had been sprayed with lead arse- 

 nate. 



Table 2. — Metals on products of vines sprayed with lead arsenate {Von der Heide). 



Copper. 



Grapes (bunches) (milligrams per 100 grams). . 

 Grapes (individual) (milligrams per 100 grams) 



Stems (milligrams per 100 grams) 



Leaves (milligrams per 100 grams) 



Grape skins (milligrams per 100 grams) 



Must (milligrams per 100 grams) 



Fall wine (milligrams per 100 grams) . '. 



Spring wine (milligrams per 100 grams) 



Wet lees (milligrams per 100 grams) 



Dry lees (milligrams per 100 grams) 



72638— 22— Bull. 1027 2 



Arsenic. 



Lead. 



0.3 



0.7 



.2 



.3 



7.1 



10.6 



16.0 



48.0 



{ -.1- 



1.4- 



.8 



.3 



.8 



.2 



.6 j 



.1 



.2 1 



3.0 



4.8 



12.9 



20.7 



27 



