628 



Insecticides and Fungicides. 



[0CT.» 



INSECTICIDES AND FUNGICIDES. 



Horticulturists are probably aware that, at the request of 

 the Chamber of Horticulture and an important section of 

 insecticide and fungicide manufacturers, a Bill has been drafted 

 for the regulation of the trade in certain of the chemicals most 

 generally in use for the control of pests, and especially for 

 ensuring that the grower should have at his disposal fungi- 

 cides and insecticides of guaranteed composition. In view of 

 the Cabinet instructions on national economy it has proved 

 necessary to postpone the inttod action of this Bill to Parlia- 

 ment, but it is believed that many manufacturers are prepared 

 to meet the terms of the Bill without previous legislation, and 

 it has therefore been decided to publish certain of the more 

 important provisions both for the information of the public in 

 general and the manufacturers in particular. Purchasers of 

 insecticides and fungicides of kinds mentioned below are 

 earnestly advised to stipulate before taking delivery that the 

 articles supplied should comply with the conditons laid down. 



These conditions and the articles to which they apply are 

 as follows: — 



1. Lead Arsenate Paste. — (a) The total amount of arsenic 

 in lead arsenate paste as sold for agricultural and horticultural 

 purposes shall not be less than 14 per cent, of the paste in the 

 condition in which it is sold, nor less than 28 per cent, of the 

 paste when dried at 100^ C, the arsenic being expressed in 

 terms of arsenic oxide (As^O.). 



(h) The amount of water-soluble arsenic in the paste as sold 

 shall not exceed 0.5 per cent., expressed as arsenic oxide 



(c) The actual percentage of arsenic in terms of arsenic 

 oxide (As-^O.) in the paste as sold shall be stated on the label 

 together with the dilution required to produce a standard 

 spraying mixture containing 0.1 per cent, of arsenic oxide 

 (As,0,). • 



(d) The amount of substance other than arsenate of lead 

 and water in the paste as sold shall not exceed 3 per cent. 



J^ote. — So far as the purchaser is concerned the most important provisions 

 are those under 6, c, and <7, above, and he should realise the reasons for them. 

 As regards &, arsenic in a water-soluble form is very likely to cause injury to 

 foliage, and its presence in lead arsenate spraying compounds has at times 

 resulted in serious losses. It is therefore necessary to prescribe that the 

 water-soluble arsenic contained in a paste should not exceed a certain per- 

 centage which has been shown to be harmless. 



