164 



being easily obtainable at nominal cost at all points where cotton-seed 

 oil and cake are being manufactured. The experiments made by Mr. 

 Schwarz certainly show that there is a possibilty of successfully utiliz- 

 ing these materials where they can be abundantly and cheaply obtained. 

 A strong suds from this soap was found to destroy the young worms, 

 but seems to have little effect on the larger or full-grown ones. In this 

 respect it acted very much as any other strong soapsuds would, and it 

 cannot be said to have any advantage over other saponaceous com- 

 pounds except in the cheapness and abundance of materials at com- 

 mand by planters in the vicinity of cotton-seed oil factories. 



VEGETABLE INSECTICIDES. 



PTRETHRUM. 



History of Pyrethrum. — There are very few data at hand concern- 

 ing the discovery of the insecticide properties of pyrethrum. The pow- 

 der has been in use for many years in Asiatic countries south of the 

 Caucasus Mountains. It was sold at a high price by the inhabitants, 

 who successfully kept its nature a secret until the beginning of this 

 century, when an Armenian merchant, Mr. Jumtikoff, learned that the 

 powder was obtained from the dried and pulverized flower-heads of 

 certain species of Pyrethrum growing abundantly in the mountain 

 region of what is now known as the Eussian province of Transcaucasia. 

 The son of Mr. Jumtikoff began the manufacture of the article on a 

 large scale in 1828, after which year the pyrethrum industry steadily 

 grew, until to-day the export of the dried flower-heads represents an 

 important item in the revenue of those countries. 



Still less seems to be known of the discovery and history of the Dal- 

 matian species of Pyrethrum [Pyrethrum cineraricefolimn), but it is prob- 

 able that its history is very similar to that of the Asiatic species. At 

 the present time the Pyrethrum flowers are considered by far the most 

 valuable product of the soil of Dalmatia. 



There is also very little information published regarding either the 

 mode of growth or the cultivation of pyrethrum plants in their native 

 home. As to the Caucasian species, we have reason to believe that they 

 are not cultivated, at least not at the present time, statements to the 

 contrary notwithstanding.* The well-known Dr. GustavEadde, director 

 of the Imperial Museum of Natural History at Tiflis, Transcaucasia, 

 who is the highest living authority on every thing pertaining to the 

 natural history of that region, wrote us recently as follows : " The only 

 species of its genus, Pyrethrum roseum, which gives a good, effective 

 insect powder, is nowhere cultivated, but grows wild in the basal -alpine 

 zone of our mountains at an altitude of from 6,000 to 8,000 feet.^' From 

 this it appears that this species at least is not cultivated in its native 



*Beport Comm. Patents for 1857, Agriculture, p. 130. 



