1884.] 
AMEEICAIT AGRIOIJLTURIST. 
421 
Our Most Valuable Insecticides. 
In answer to several inquiries for a list of the 
leading- insecticides we say, that there are six sub¬ 
stances now generally in use, viz: tobacco, soap, 
hellebore, arsenic, petroleum, and pyrethrum. The 
effective part of tobacco is the narcotic principle 
called nicotine. The vapor of tobacco is found 
more effective and less injurious, than either to¬ 
bacco smoke or a decoction of the stems. T'he 
tobacco stems are used like a mulch in the garden, 
or scattered on the green-house plants. Soap is 
one of the oldest remedies. Hellebore, the root 
of Veratrum alburn^ ground to powder, is useful 
for only a limited number of insect pests. It is 
the best remedy for the currant worm, and most of 
the saw flies. Arsenic is employed as Paris Green 
or London Purple, and is very effective wherever 
it is safe to use -the deadly poison. Paris Green 
became popular as a remedy for the Colorado po¬ 
tato beetle. Loudon Purple, an arsenical insecti¬ 
cide of recent introduction, is a refuse material in 
the manufacture of aniline dies. Petroleum is now 
being largely used in destroying insects, either in 
the crude state or as kerosene. Two parts of the 
substance are thoroughly mixed with one of sour 
milk, and afterwards diluted with water before 
spraying upon the infested plants. Pyrethrum has 
been in use as an insecticide for many years, under 
the name of “ Persian Insect Powder.” It is the 
pulverized flowers of several species of the genus 
Pyrethrum — members of the great sunflower family 
of plants. A species of Pyrethrum is now being 
largely grown in California, and furnishes “Bu- 
hach,” the comparatively new insecticide known 
•in the trade. The pyrethrum powder acts only by 
by contact, and needs to be applied directly to the 
insects. Unlike the arsenical compounds, it is 
harmless to man and the larger animals. Other in¬ 
secticides employed to a limited extent are sul¬ 
phur; bi-sulphide of carbon, carbolic acid ; soluble 
phenyle; camphor; coal tar and gas lime. 
A New Method of Preserving Grapes in 
Winter, 
We have already mentioned among other methods 
of preserving grapes, one that is practised in 
Europe. The clusters are left attached to the 
canes, and the lower ends of the canes are inserted 
in bottles of water, the bottles being so inclined 
that the clusters will hang free, without touching 
them. This method, which prevents the berries 
from shrivelling, is very successful in Europe with 
the exotic varieties of grapes. Our native grapes 
differ greatly in their keeping qualities, and while 
it may not succeed with all, we have little doubt 
that this method wOl preserve some varieties, and 
we have already suggested it as worthy of trial, if 
not for grapes to be marketed, at least for those for 
family use. An English fruit-grower has improved 
upon the use of bottles, and gives his apparatus in 
the “ Gardener’s Chronicle ” (Eng.) Instead of bot¬ 
tles, he makes use of troughs of glazed earthen¬ 
ware, which allow of more rapid handling and 
economizes room. The troughs arc some seventeen 
inches long and about four inches in width and 
bight. Along the sides, on the inside of the troughs, 
and at a short distance below the upper edge, is a 
projecting ledge, under which the lower end of the 
cane is caught while it rests upon the opposite 
edge of the trough, and allows the cluster of 
grapes to hang clear. These troughs may rest upon 
brackets driven into the wall of the fruit room, as 
in figure 1, which represents a trough in section, 
showing the ledge, and the manner in which the 
cane is supported. The troughs are also placed 
upon racks as in figure 2. Figure 3 shows a sec¬ 
tion of a single one of the troughs upon the rack, 
and allows the manner of supporting the canes to 
be seen. The troughs used here have the ledge in 
the center at F; this allows canes to be placed 
upon both sides, as shown in figures 2 and 3. 
Of course water must be supplied as it evaporates 
from the troughs, and the temperature of the room 
should be kept as low as practicable without freez¬ 
ing. Those who wish to experiment upon keeping 
our grapes in this manner will probably find bot¬ 
tles the cheapest at first. Should the method we 
have here described be tried, wooden troughs, 
carefully put together, and thoroughly coated 
with shellac varnish, may be used, at least in the 
experiment, as a substitute for those of earthen¬ 
ware. The clusters should uot touch one another. 
Is Cold Water Injurious to Plants? 
Those who study works on horticulture by dif¬ 
ferent writers, will discover many opposing views 
in respect to the modes of caring for, and the 
treatment of plants. The proper temperature for 
water when applied to plants, has been frequently 
discussed by different writers ; some contend that 
cool water, just drawn from a well or cistern, 
should never be showered upon plants, but that it 
should first be heated to the temperature of the 
rocm in which the plants are standing. Others, 
with equal zeal, claim that cold water will not in¬ 
jure the plants in the least, contending that the 
w'ater will assume the right temperature befoye 
injury is done the plant. Now which is right? 
We have experimented in this matter to a consid¬ 
erable extent, in order to satisfy ourselves as to 
which of these two views is correct. In the 
month of December we took from our collection 
twelve large geraniums, and placed them by them¬ 
selves in the conservatoi-y ; six of these we watered 
with cold water, drawn from a hydrant pipe at the 
temperature of forty-five degrees, and the other 
six were suppiied with water from a barrel standing 
in the conservatory, and was of the same tempera¬ 
ture of the house, that is from sixty degrees to 
eighty degrees. The plants watered with the cold 
water gave little if any bloom throughout the win¬ 
ter, while the six geraniums w-atered from the 
barrel grew finely, and bloomed profusely. 
Always water your plants in winter time with 
hike-warm water, if you would have aprofusion of 
flowers, and thrifty-growing plants. The water 
should be of the same temperature as the room or 
place in which the plants are kept. There is 
no theory about it, this is a practical fact. 
Protecting Tree Trunks from the Sun. 
Dr. Samuel Hape, a prominent horticulturist of 
Georgia, considers the afternoon sun as having a 
marked injurious effect upon the southwest side of 
the trunks of fruit trees. The peach, when trimmed 
high, suffers .greatly from this cause, especially in 
the southern climate. The bark dries up, and un¬ 
less timely protection is provided, the exposed 
trees slowly die from the effects of the fiery rays of 
the afternoon sun. The warrain^g influence of the 
morning hours is sufficient to overcome the cool¬ 
ing action of the night, and preserve the health of 
the tree. The effect of the afternoon sun is very 
marked in blighted pear trees, the southwest side 
being usuaily first affected. Trees that are grown 
on hillsides sloping towards the east and southeast, 
are nurch less subject to the mysterious and deadly 
blight. Currant, gooseberry and raspberry plants 
are in like manner affected by exposure to the 
bright sun of the afternoon. Experiments in box¬ 
ing trees, especially the cherry, have been very 
successful. It is only necessary to protect the 
southwest side of the tree trunk. Dr. Hape sug¬ 
gests two boards nailed together lengthwise by 
their edges, and placed on tlie west side, as being 
sufficient to protect the tree. Where possible, trees 
may be shielded by being planted on hillsides slop¬ 
ing to the southeast. Low limbs will furnish 
much shade to the trunks, and may be obtained by 
proper pruning. The small fruits—currants, goose¬ 
berries, raspberries, etc., can be easily protected 
from the afternoon sun by being planted on the 
east side of a fence, or other object yielding shade. 
This matter of the sun-killing of fruit trees de¬ 
mands the attention of all practical fruit-growers. 
Wintering Plants in Cellars. 
Many plants, such as agaves (century plants), 
oleanders, large cactuses, etc., that have grown too 
large to be accommodated in the sitting-room or 
conservatory, can be suecessfully wintered in any 
moderately dry, frost proof cellar. After placing 
these large plants in the cellar it will not be neces¬ 
sary to give them any water, the object being to 
keep them dormant all winter, which can be done 
by keeping the soil as dry as possible, but not so 
dry as to allow the plants to shrivel, or become 
withered. Large plants of the kinds mentioned, 
often form desirable ornaments during the summer¬ 
time. It is impracticable, in most cases, to bring 
them into the house in winter, but they can be 
kept for years by cellaring through the winter os 
stated. Large geranium, salvia, and heliotrope 
roots, and even tea roses, and carnations, can be 
kept moderately well in the cellar by trenching 
them in dry, or moderately moist sand. Thus many 
choice specimens of these plants that we are loth to 
Fig. 3.— SECTION OE TROUGH. 
pull up and throw away when winter approaches, 
can be successfully kept over until the next sea¬ 
son. It is a needless expense to purchase a stock of 
new plants for the garden every year, when we can 
winter many of the old ones in this simple and in¬ 
expensive manner. The leaves of all deciduous 
plants should be removed before they are put away 
in this manner. The foliage should remain on the 
oleanders and carnations through the winter. 
