PARIS-GREEU. 
103 
remembering that the powder should be thoroughly diffused through 
the water, not allowed to be in lumps; and also the methods are best 
which allow of the operator mixing without handling the powder (lest 
it should get into possible cracks or sores on the hands), and also give 
no room for the careless and thoughtless inhaling it. I have myself 
seen in a store the salesman stirring the mass up with his hand the 
whole time (until I directed his attention to it) that he was speaking 
to me. For the above reasons, and also for convenience in mixing, 
the “paste” form mentioned at p. 9S is preferable to the powder. 
Mixture of flour with Paris-green. —At p. 83 of report of our own 
experiments in the past season, Mr. Masters mentions the service¬ 
ableness of the addition of flour to the Paris-green mixture. This 
addition is advised in the U.S.A. on the high authority of Dr. Lintner,* 
and also of Dr. Packard f ; and the following note by Prof. Riley gives 
his own views clearly on the subject. Speaking of a mixture of Paris- 
green in 40 gallons of water, he says :—“ It pays to add two or three 
pounds of flour or starch to the mixture, not only because of the 
greater adhesiveness which they give to the poison (a very desirable 
object, especially in wet weather), but because by their colour they 
help to indicate the quantity that has been distributed.” J 
Still, notwithstanding the above high recommendations, it appears 
to me open to doubt whether the adhesiveness which makes it a useful 
addition in some cases might not do harm on the very young leafage 
amongst which our special work lies. 
The success mentioned by Mr. Masters was when the leafage was 
past its early state; and in the various reports I have studied of the 
use of Paris-green (especially as a remedy for moth caterpillar attack 
of a similar nature to our own in Canada), I do not find mention of 
the admixture of flour. Therefore I would suggest that, before trying 
this on a large scale, some special experiment should be made. 
Where the plan is adopted of mixing flour with the Paris-green, the 
following method is advised:—To take a large galvanised iron funnel 
of capacity suited to the work; for filling a 40-gallon barrel a funnel 
of 13-quart capacity is noted. This funnel has inside it a kind of 
strainer (described as a “cross-septum”) formed of fine wire gauze, 
such as is used for sieves, and this also has vertical sides and a rim to 
keep it from rocking on the barrel. The quantity wished of cheap 
flour is placed in the funnel, and washed through the sieve-like wire 
gauze by water poured in; thus the flour is finely divided and diffused 
in the water, and the Paris-green subsequently added and washed 
* * First Annual Report of State Entomologist of New York State,’ p. 26. 
f “ Insecticides,” by C. Y. Riley, M.A., Ph.D. (extracted from ‘ Fifth Report of 
United States Entomological Commission’), p. 33. 
+ ‘Bulletin No. 3 of United States Entomological Commission,’ p. 57. Wash¬ 
ington, 1880. 
