The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
I 189 
Destroying Ants With 
Cyanide 
I noticed an article on the use of hydro¬ 
cyanic gas for the destruction of various 
pests, including ants. No instructions 
are given except for woodchucks. I shall 
be glad to know the procedure for rid¬ 
ding an old rambling frame house of ants 
by this method. The building in question 
is in use both Winter and Summer, never 
closed. Part of the year it is used as a 
boys’ school. It is since the school has 
been opened that the ants have been 
troublesome. Before that it was closed 
iii Winter. c. T. b. 
New York. 
The article on page 1023 takes up the 
application of calcium cyanide as an in¬ 
secticide. I do not recommend that it be 
used as an indoor fumigant by inexperi¬ 
enced people. The gas is too dangerous. 
To employ a professional fumigator who 
uses liquefied cyanogen would be safer 
and more satisfactory. 
However, I will give directions to be 
used in case you wish to attempt this 
dangerous procedure. All doors, windows, 
cracks and openings must be sealed up 
with paper strips or stufTed with cloths, 
etc. Some sort of a device must be con¬ 
structed so as to open the upper windows 
from the outside. The lower windows 
ind doors can be opened from the outside 
first and the upstairs windows and doors 
two or three hours later. The calcium 
cyanide can be spread out on newspapers 
in each room, using about from *4 to % 
oz. per 1,000 cu. ft. for an over-night ap¬ 
plication, or 1 or 2 oz. per 1.000 cu. ft. 
for three or four hours’ exposure. As the 
house in question is reported as very 
porous, it may need larger amounts of 
calcium cyanide and a longer exposure. 
I think chlorcynogen less dangerous and 
just as effective a fumigant, and sulphur 
burning almost as effective. 
O. T. B. does not state the kind of ants 
that cause the trouble, and the source of 
the ants is not given. If they are one of 
the three or four species of tiny red or 
black ant that get into sugar, candy, etc., 
they can best be controlled by local meas¬ 
ures. Injecting oil of lemon diluted with 
alcohol. 1 per cent of phenol or crude 
carbolic, kerosene or gasoline mixed with 
carbon tetrachloride or a weak solution 
of “lysol” will kill ants, as well as repel 
successors. Food traps of sponges soaked 
in sugar water, poison baits of tartar 
emetic, lead arsenate, or arsenic trioxide 
are very effective. 
CLARENCE M. WINCH El .I,. 
Borers in Quince Trees 
I have two quince trees which have 
three or four holes in the trunk about 
half an inch to two inches from the 
ground. I have run a wire in the holes 
to find if it had any borers but could not 
find any. All holes run down about two 
inches inside, the wire will not go fur¬ 
ther. The roots seem alive with ants, 
could they be causing the trouble? 
Bloomfield, N. ,T. G. n. 
The round holes, which are probably 
about the size of a lead 1 pencil, are the 
exit holes of the beetle of the round 
headed apple-tree borer. You will have 
no success probing for the insect in these 
holes because it has completed its three- 
year life cycle in the tree and has finally 
emerged, making this large hole in its 
exit. This borer was fully discussed on 
page 984 of the issue for July 12. 
II. B. T. 
Earthworms in Tobacco 
Beds 
I have been troubled for the past two 
years with earthworms in my tobacco 
beds. Is there any remedy or prevention? 
Massachusetts. a. l. b. 
Earthworms can be kept under con¬ 
trol by spraying the soil in which they 
are present with corrosive sublimate one 
ounce to 30 gallons of water. The writer 
does not know what effect this would have 
on the tobacco plants and he would sug¬ 
gest experimenting on a small part of 
the bed at first. It would be safer to 
treat the soil first with the mixture and 
wait a few days before planting the seed. 
This is only a suggestion and we have 
not definite experimental work on which 
to base any authoritative recommenda¬ 
tion. Spraying the soil with nicotine 
sulphate at the rate of one teaspoon to a 
gallon of water, might kill and discourage 
the worms. Moreover there would be 
no danger of injuring the tobacco plants 
with this mixture. 
Delivere 
€ast of the 
Mississippi 
Rivei 
Fall spraying with Scalecide controls 
psylla and peach leaf curl. Spring ap¬ 
plication controls aphis, pear thrips, 
leaf miner, case bearer and leaf rol¬ 
ler. Either fall or spring spraying with 
Scalecide controls scale, bud moth, 
European red mite, fungus or blight 
cankers from which are spread fire 
blight, collar rot and root rot. And 
in addition, year after year use of 
Scalecide invigorates the trees. 
, Drum 
$2. Cxtva 
(Returnable) 
Buy Scalecide on Price 
The new 15-gallon package 
contains enough Scalecide to 
spray as many trees, until they 
drip, as one 50-gallon barrel 
of lime sulfur, applied with 
equal thoroughness. And, as 
it requires only half as much 
time and labor to apply the 
Scalecide as the lime sulfur, 
spraying with Scalecide is 
cheaper. But more important, 
Scalecide will make a better or¬ 
chard. It is guaranteed to do so. 
Scalecide is not an oil emulsion 
but a miscible oil that mixes 
instantly with cold water and 
stays mixed without agitation. 
Its continuous use for the past 
twenty years throughout the 
fruit-growing world has proven 
that it will not do injury such 
as has been so often attributed 
to oil emulsions and improper¬ 
ly made miscible oils. 
On every tree, shrub and vine 
that sheds its leaves in winter— 
use Scalecide as your dormant 
spray. Then you will know 
that you have done all that 
can be done at that particular 
time by any dormant spray or 
combination of sprays. If your 
dealer doesn’t carry Scalecide, 
show him this advertisement 
—or order direct from us. 
In any event write today for 
the new booklet, “Economy of 
Scalecide’’—free for the asking. 
Carboleine 
X 
B. G. PRATT CO. Department 16 50 Church St. NEW YORK, N. Y. 
A miscible oil—has 
been in use longer 
than any oil spray on 
the market, except 
Scalecide, and kills 
scale as well as Scale- 
cideeven at a weaker 
dilution-and known 
to be safe. While it 
will not do all that 
Scalecide will do, 
neither will any 
otherdormantspray. 
Price: $20 per 50- 
gallon barrel includ¬ 
ing container, f.o.b. 
Hackensack, N. J. 
Oil Emulsions 
While oil emulsions 
have not yet proven 
their value and safe¬ 
ty, and we do not 
recommend them, 
we will supply them 
to you of a quality 
and stability not ob¬ 
tainable elsewhere. 
If you insist on using 
oil emulsions, let us 
quote you prices. 
/ 
I 
THE COMPLETE DORMANT SPRAY' ^Y 
This One Engine' 
Does Every 
Farm Job 
1 I set out to build a Farm engine 
that would have every feature 
the farmer wanted and none he 
didn’t want. It has now been 
on the market six years. Thou¬ 
sands of satisfied users tell me 
I’ve succeeded. I’m proud to 
have this engine bear my name.’’ 
—A. Y. Edwards 
EDWARDS 
FARM 
ENGIN E 
There is no other farm engine 
like it. Simple in construction 
and easy to operate. It is only 
one engine, yet it takes the 
place of six engines. It will give 
from 1 yi to 6 H. P., yet it is so 
light that two men can carry it 
easily. Set it anywhere and 
put it to work. 
Change Power 
as Needed 
It is a 6 H. P. when you need 
6, or lyi H. P. when you need 
only lyi, or any power in be¬ 
tween. Fuel consumption in 
proportion to power used and 
remarkably low at all times. 
Adjustment from one power to 
another is instantaneous. 
Barns Kerosene 
Operates with kerosene or gaso¬ 
line. Easy starting, no crank¬ 
ing. The greatest gas engine 
value on the market. And you 
can prove all of these statements 
to your own satisfaction. 
What Users Say 
Ivan L. Blake, of Hannibal, 
New York, says: “Only engine 
economical for all jobs. I run a 
28-inch cord wood saw, a 24- 
inch rip saw, a washer, a pump, 
and a grinder, and it sure runs 
them fine. It has perfect run¬ 
ning balance, and it sets quiet 
anywhere.” 
Clarence Rutledge, of Mani- 
toulan Island, Ontario, says: 
v Have given my Edwards four 
years’ steady work and like it 
fine. It uses very little fuel. I 
run a 28-inch cord wood saw, 
also a rip saw, 8-inch grinder, 
ensilage cutter, line shaft for 
shop, churn, washer, separator 
and pump. Have had ten other 
engines and the Edwards beats 
them all." 
Frank Foell, of Cologne, New 
Jersey, says: “ It’s a great pleas¬ 
ure to own an Edwards engine. 
I run a wood saw, cement mixer. 
rkakle Engine 
threshing machine, etc. Do 
work for my neighbors. Easy 
to move around and easy to run. 
I would not have any other.’; 
Free Trial Offer 
Now— I want to prove my 
claims to you. I want to send 
you an Edwards Engine for ab¬ 
solutely free trial. Just write 
your name and address on cou¬ 
pon and mail. I will send at 
once complete details about my 
farm engine and about my free 
trial offer. No cost or obliga¬ 
tion. Mail coupon now. 
a 
enWARDS MOTOR ohto 
171» Main Street, P send 
. Without cost^obl^ 
1 “ngiue.^ detaUs of your free tn«I 
• offer. 
I . 
I Name. 
J Address . 
C*GENUINE KID 
COMFORT SLIPPER 
99 
JRaRE bargain in 
(line black vici-kid with flexible 
hand turned good-wearing 
leather soles 
and smooth in-, 
ner soles. Rubber 
heels. Si?es3-{ 
Wide Widths 
Order No.Ol 
Money back 
promptly 
if not do- 
lighted 
WE PAY 
POSTAGE if money - 
i- _ or cheek accompanies order; or you can PAY 
POSTMAN on delivery plus postage. Mention No. 01273 , 
eize and width or all numbers in shoe you now wear. 
Free Catalnvnn of wonderful values in men’s. 
rree catalogue women’s and children’s shoes. 
ANDERSON SHOE CO.. Inc. Dent. 8H12 
102 Hopkins Placo Baltimore, Md. 
^NICOTINE SULPHATE 
i jjsr 
Hall Tobacco Chemical Co. 
212 Fifth Ave.. New York City. 
apms 
[plant-lice] 
When you zvrite advertisers mention The R.~N.-Y. and you’ll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
Commercial Poultry Raising 
by Roberta . 
An all-around book; $3 postpaid, by 
Rural New-Yorker, 333 W. 30th St., New York 
