WASHES. 
65 
grease in the autumn round our Plum-trees (we do not like tar), and 
killed thousands of moths; still a few eggs are to be seen on the 
branches, and a good many below the band of grease. We are dealing 
with them now in this way: we mix up a quantity of clay (as the 
basis), well tempered with soot, lime, cow-refuse, and water, and paint 
the whole of the stem of the trees with it, working it well into the 
cracks, and we hope that this will destroy the eggs.”—E. J. 0. 
A slightly different recipe was also sent me by Capt. Corbett, which 
was used similarly to the above, that is, the trees were painted with it 
in March from the ground to the branches. This consisted of well- 
mixed clay, 4 parts; cart-grease, 1 part; and soot, 1 part. 
Soft-soap, mineral oil,y cashes, or emulsions. — Washing with a mixture 
of soft-soaj) with a little mineral oil is another means of cleaning the tree 
from stray eggs, which is recommended on excellent authority. 
On November 2nd, Mr. James Fletcher, “Dominion Entomologist,” 
of Canada, in reply to a letter which I had suggested should be written 
to him by Capt. Corbett, asking his advice as one of the very best 
authorities regarding caterpillar prevention, favoured us with many 
useful suggestions, and regarding the point of destroying the eggs, he 
wrote as follows :—“ For washing the trunk, to destroy all eggs which 
may have been laid during the winter, a kerosene emulsion may be 
used. This should be done in the end of March.”—J. F. 
The following recipes give directions for preparing the emulsion, 
and with us paraffin-oil may be substituted for kerosene-oil through¬ 
out :— 
Kerosene and Soap Mixture.—“ To make this I use one fourth of a 
pound of hard soap, preferably whale-oil soap, and one quart of water. 
This is heated till the soap is dissolved, when one pint of kerosene-oil 
is added, and the whole agitated till a permanent mixture or emulsion 
is formed. The agitation is easily secured by use of a force-pump 
pumping the liquid with force back into the vessel holding it. I then 
add water, so that there shall be kerosene in the proportion of one to 
fifteen.”—Prof. A. J. Cook, in Bulletin 26 of the Agricultural College, 
Michigan, U.S.A. 
I give the above recipe first, as, being noted as a satisfactory appli¬ 
cation for the Apple Aphis, it may be presumed the proportion of 
kerosene would not be enough to injure ordinary bark; but all experi¬ 
menters should bear in mind that the strength and amount of mineral 
oil used must be well considered, and the same strength may not be 
safe on all parts of young trees. 
Another recipe is for “Kerosene Emulsion” of the ordinary 
strength for general application, viz., kerosene or refined coal-oil, 
1 pint; common laundry soap, \ oz.; rain-water, \ pint. The soap 
was boiled in the water till all was dissolved, then the boiling soap-suds 
F 
