NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



817 



pests are dealt with, and the remedies for each are given. The ingredients 

 of the most useful and readily prepared washes are given below : — 



I. — Leaf poisoning Insecticides. 



(a) Take half-a-pound of Paris (or emerald) green and stir well in a 

 hundred gallons of water, adding a pound of lime. Distribute in a 

 fine spray over the foliage, taking care to stir the mixture frequently, 

 or the Paris green will sink to the bottom. 



N.B. — Paris green is sold as a paste and as a powder. The paste 

 is safer, not being so liable to blow about and be inhaled. If the 

 powder is used, it should be pulverised before mixing, unless very fine in 

 grain. 



(b) Take six ounces of arsenate of soda, and dissolve in a little water, 

 pouring the solution into a hundred gallons of soft water. Also dissolve 

 eighteen ounces of acetate of lead (" sugar of lead ") in a little water, and 

 pour the solution into the hundred gallons containing the arsenate of 

 soda. Stir frequently during use, and deliver as a fine spray. A little 

 soft soap added to the mixture will help it to adhere to the leaves. 



CAUTION. — The mixtures (a) and (b) are highly poisonous, and must 

 not be left carelessly about, nor must the vessels in which they are mixed 

 be used for other purposes without careful cleansing. Care must be taken 

 not to inhale the arsenic powders. Fruit must not be sprayed within a 

 few weeks of gathering. 



II. — Direct Insecticides. 



(c) Dissolve J lb. of soft soap in 1 gallon of soft water. Add 

 this to 2 gallons of paraffin (kerosene) oil, and stir thoroughly. This 

 gives a " kerosene emulsion," which must be diluted for use. The 

 strength of the mixture will depend partly on the quality of the paraffin 

 and partly on the nature of the object sprayed — whether tender or deli- 

 cate leaves, strong and vigorous foliage, or bare winter branches. An 

 average strength for foliage will be obtained by adding 15 gallons of soft 

 water to the 3 gallons of emulsion, but it is as well to test its effects on 

 the leaves. For winter use a much stronger mixture is permissible, 5 to 

 10 gallons of additional water being sufficient. 



(d) Boil 12 lb. of quassia chips, and add the extract to 100 gallons 

 of water. 6 or 7 lb. of soft soap may be advantageously added to the 

 wash. 



(e) A useful wash for winter use only, to kill hibernating insects and 

 their eggs, or to clean tree-trunks smothered by Moss or Lichen, may be 

 made thus : Dissolve separately in water, 1 lb. of caustic scda and 1 lb. 

 of crude potash. Mix the solution, stirring up f lb. of soft soap in the 

 mixture. Add sufficient water to make 10 gallons. The best time for its 

 application is the middle of February. 



a or b is recommended for use against the caterpillars of the ( "Winter 

 Moth,' the 1 March Moth,' and other allied leaf-feeding larvae. They are 

 also used for spraying for the Codlin Moth, " a week after the falling of 

 the blossoms." c or d will be found useful in checking attacks of ' Red 

 Spider.' " Sulphur, however, seems to be especially effective against 



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