296 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



June, 19 1( 



Standard Formula. Paris green may be 

 used simply stirred up in water; or it may 

 be added to Bordeaux mixture. The pro- 

 portions used are one pound of Paris green 

 to one hundred and fifty or two hundred 

 gallons of water or Bordeaux. When used 

 in water, two or three pounds of lime are 

 added. 



In Small Quantities. Take a heaping 

 teaspoonful of Paris green to three gallons 

 of water or three gallons of Bordeaux 

 mixture. This is the equivalent of one- 

 fourth of an ounce. 



If you use it in Bordeaux, no lime need 

 be added. If you use it in water, add three 

 heaping teaspoonfuls of lime. 



ARSENATE OF LEAD 



About the only difficulty with old-fashioned 

 Paris green is the fact that it washes off 

 readily. In the case of some vegetables, 

 such as cabbages, this may be no disadvan- 

 tage. We prefer to have the poison come 

 off before the heads are marketed. As a 

 rule, however, it is a distinct advantage to 

 have a poison that will adhere through 

 showers. Arsenate of lead will do this. 



Standard Formula. Arsenate of lead is 

 used at strengths varying all the way from 

 three pounds to the hundred gallons up to 

 twenty pounds to the hundred gallons. It 

 depends on the power of resistance of the 

 species of insect for which the spray is 

 applied. There is no danger of burning the 

 foliage. 



In Small Quantities. This chemical 

 comes in the form of a thick, sticky paste. 

 For ordinary use take one tablespoonful, 

 just slightly rounded, to one gallon of water 

 or Bordeaux mixture. 



This is the equivalent of one ounce of the 

 paste. You may use double this amount 

 if desired in the case of resistant insects, 

 such as the potato beetle. 



KEROSENE EMULSION 



For most sucking insects, especially the 

 soft-bodied ones, such as plant-lice or aphids, 

 a satisfactory spray is to be found in kerosene 

 emulsion. It is not a poison, and is of no 

 avail against such insects as the potato 

 beetle; nor is a poison spray like arsenate of 



Ammoixiacal copper carbonate may be used on 

 ripening fruit instead of Bordeaux. Two tea- 

 spoonfuls copper carbonate, two ounces ammonia, 

 eight quarts water 



A spray which sticks in spite of summer showers 

 — lead arsenate. One tablespoonful (equal to one 

 ounce) arsenate in four quarts 'water. 



lead of any use against the sucking insects 

 for which kerosene emulsion is adapted. 

 The distinction should be clearly under- 

 stood. Kerosene emulsion is a contact 

 remedy. Paris green or lead arsenate are 

 stomach poisons. 



Standard Formula. In making up this 

 spray mixture on a large scale the propor- 

 tions call for one-half pound of hard soap, 

 one gallon of water, and two gallons of 

 kerosene. The soap is dissolved in the 

 hot water, the kerosene is added, and the 

 spray-pump is used to churn the mixture 

 violently. 



In Making Small Amounts. Cut from a 

 cake of common, hard soap a cube about one 

 inch square. Take one-half pint of soft 

 water; one pint of common kerosene, or 

 coal-oil. 



Pour the half-pint of water into any con- 

 venient vessel holding a quart or more in 

 which you can boil it. Shave the soap 

 up fine and drop it into the water. Place 

 the vessel on the fire, and bring the water 

 to a boil, stirring to see that the soap is all 

 dissolved. 



Remove the vessel from the fire and, while 

 the soapy water is still hot, add the pint of 

 kerosene. At once churn the mixture 

 violently. For this purpose you may use 

 a common egg-beater. It won't hurt the 

 egg-beater in the least: you can easily 

 wash it clean afterward with soap and hot 

 water. Keep on churning the mixture for 

 several minutes until you have a creamy 

 mass of even consistency throughout. 



This is your stock solution. For ordinary 

 summer use you will take one part of this 

 and add to it fifteen or twenty parts of water. 



TOBACCO WATER 



Concentrated extracts of tobacco are now 

 on the market and are handy and effective 

 against soft-bodied insects, such as the com- 

 mon plant-lice. They are prepared for 

 use by simple dilution with water. 



If waste tobacco stems are available, 

 as they are apt to be in any town or city 

 where the manufacture of cigars or stogies 

 is carried on, you can make your own 

 tobacco extract as follows: 



Take any convenient vessel and pack the 

 stems down in it moderately firm. Pour 

 over them boiling hot water, just enough to 

 cover them. Let this stand several hours. 

 Then pour off the brown liquor, and dilute 



this as follows: one part of the brown 

 extract to four parts of water. 



SOAP SOLUTION 



Most plants kept indoors develop sooner 

 or later a crop of aphids, or some of the 

 softer scales. 



A satisfactory and handy spray or wash 

 for these may be made by dissolving a block 

 of ordinary toilet soap in water, and applying 

 the solution with a small sprayer or simply 

 by washing the plants with a rag or sponge. 



To make the soap solution take a cube 

 of white soap about an inch square or a trifle 

 larger, shave it up fine, and dissolve in one 

 gallon of warm soft water. 



PYRETHRUM IN WATER 



Ordinary pyrethrum or "insect powder," 

 if fresh, is of considerable value as a spray 

 or wash for plants indoors. If stale, it is of 

 practically no value whatever. 



The strength generally used is at the 

 rate of one ounce of the powder to two or 

 three gallons of water. 



For Small Quantities. Take one heaping 

 teaspoonful of the pyrethrum and add it to 

 two quarts of warm water. Allow it to 

 stand for a while before use. 



POISONED BRAN MASH 



There is no garden pest more exasperating 

 than the cutworm. Somehow, we can stand 

 it to have the edge of a leaf chewed, but 

 when the offender cuts the whole plant off 

 even with the ground, leaving it there for 

 our observation next morning, we draw the 

 line. 



Cutworms may be poisoned readily, if we 

 give them a prepared bran mash to feed on 

 just before we set out our plants. 



Standard Formula. In large quantities 

 the mash is made by taking fifty pounds of 

 bran or middlings, two quarts of molasses 

 and one pound of Paris green. 



To Make One Quart. Take one quart of 

 wheat bran or middlings. Mix with this 

 one teaspoonful of Paris green, seeing to 

 it that the poison is thoroughly distributed 

 through the dry meal. Now, take half a 

 cupful of water, and add to it one table- 

 spoonful of molasses, or the equivalent in 

 any other sweet. With this water moisten 

 the bran slowly. Use more water if nec- 

 essary until the bran is rather damp, but not 

 wet. 



This should be distributed in teaspoonful 

 doses every two or three feet over the ground 

 to be protected. 



COMBINED MIXTURES 



Combining two different poisons so as to 

 make a double-headed application at one time 

 is often a labor-saving device for the ama- 

 teur. Thus, Bordeaux mixture can be used 

 in place of water in the preparation of Paris 

 green, and in this way we can get one 

 spray that will kill fungous diseases and 

 chewing insects at the same time. Simi- 

 larly, lime-sulphur can be used in combi- 

 nation with arsenate of lead (but a mixture 

 of Paris green and lime-sulphur is injurious 

 to the foliage.) 





