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Ants , — To protect plants from ants the natives of Brazil grow 
castor-bean plants in their gardens* If the seeds are placed on the 
glowing fuel in the combustion chamber of an ant-fumigating apparatus, 
the fumes form a deposit in the nest which not only kills the ants 
but prevents reinf estation.— Gobbato (21, p, 304). 
Flies , — A oafe proprietor who had placed a castor-bean plant in 
his dining-room was surprised to find all the flies in the room dead 
beneath the plant. This statement has bean questioned, however, by- 
people who have found no trace of dead flies near or beneath this 
plant,— Car ri ire and Andre'' (15, 16) ♦ 
This plant was stated to be efficacious in freeing rooms of 
insect life, the leaves containing a substance fatal to flies and 
other insects,-- ^Anonymous {1) • 
Mosquitoes , — The Indian Medical Record for March 16 [1893] is 
quoted as follows: According to a Bombay newspaper the castor-bean 
plant gives protection against mosquitoes. In Egypt it is planted 
about the houses to drive the insects away. In towns, a better plan 
is to have the growing plants in pots and to bring them into the 
house for a day or two at a time. It was reported that the mosquitoes 
were killed by a poison found on the under side of the leaves, and 
if a dozen leaves were placed about a room swarming with mosquitoes, 
the insects would disappear without leaving any deed lying about. — 
Anonymous (3). 
Castor-bean plants helped to drive mosquitoes away.— Von Mueller 
(50, p. Ug?). 
Castor-beans planted near a house in New Jersey had no repellent 
effect on mosquitoes.— Smith (43, p. 543)* 
During the winter of 1901 a great deal was reported in the news- 
papers about the cultivation of this plant to keep mosquitoes away. 
These notes were based mainly upon the report of a consul from Veaa- 
ezuela, who had castor-bean plants growing profusely aroimd his 
residence. Seeds from these particular plants were brought to the 
United States and planted on the groxmds of the Department of Agri- 
culture in Washington, D, C,, and also in New Jersey, but observations 
indicated that mosquitoes were not at all deterred by the plants. 
In 1903 another consul reported a similar belief among the natives 
of Yucatan, and he also confirmed this belief to a certain extent 
experimentally. An Indian journal reported that six potted castor- 
bean plants that had been placed in a room were thickly covered by 
mosquitoes, which seemed "to be actually invigorated by the apparent- 
ly stimulating effect of their new quarters." In experiments in 
Algeria castor-bean plants were found to be without effect as deter- 
rents against mosquitoes.— Howard (29, pp. 23-25). 
