48 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  15,  1887. 
say  that  when  we  introduce  potash  to  naphthalene  we  get  naphthalene- 
potassium  (CjoHgK.).  Gardeners  will  smile— something  again  in 
return  for  ipenaing  money  on  a  fungicide  and  insecticide— and,  perhaps, 
rub  their  hands.  Well,  we  get  chemically  additive  and  substitution 
products,  which  I  will  not  follow  only  so  far  as  to  say  that  we  add  four 
atoms  of  chlorine  to  the  naphthalene  (CjqHj),  and  thus  secure  a  sub¬ 
stance  havine  the  formula  CjoGsCU.  wnich  surely  Mr.  W.  Dyke  will 
admit  is  a  stinger,  even  for  root  eel  worm.  Too  strong,  well,  it  will 
kill  either  fungoid  or  insect  pests,  also  plants  of  a  useful  character 
uniii  made  soluble  and  diluted  lo  a  safe  strength. 
'  This  brings  us  to  the  crucial  point.  Naphthalene  is  not  a  particle  of 
use  as  it  is,  and  to  make  it  of  any  use  we  must  go  back  to  the  derivative — 
the  coal  oil ;  but  this  will  not  do,  therefore  get  the  lighter,  clear  burning 
oil  =  paraffin  oil,  which  in  solid  form— that  is,  paraffin— amounts  to  about 
0'12  per  cent,  of  English  bituminous  shale.  The  oil,  as  everybody 
knows,  is  clear,  and  whether  “boghead,”  or  whence  derived  it  may 
be,  answers.  Naptha! ene  melts  in  that  oil  by  the  application  of  heat 
that  is,  it  goes  back  into  the  oil,  and  then  this  compound  of  naphthalene 
and  paraffin  oil  saponifies  by  the  addition  of  potash  to  form  a  softsoap, 
or  with  soda  to  form  a  hard  soap.  That  makes  all  the  difference,  and 
one  part  of  this  as  strong  as  it  can  be  made  in  1000  parts  water— 1  oz. 
to  6;J-  gallons  of  water — kills  pests  of  all  sorts. 
All  the  preceding  is  laboratory  work,  which,  as  before  stated,  will 
not  farther  be  followed,  but  enough  has  been  said  to  let  chemists  work 
out  a  substance  for  us  as  clear  as  crystal,  neither  staining  foliage,  flowers, 
nor  fruit,  yet  killing  pests  without  nauseous  smells,  but  such  as  a  lady 
may  use  in  boudoir  for  killing  germs  of  disease,  and  preventing  them 
from  coming  in.  These  are  what  we  are  coming  to  sooner  or  later,  and 
everybody  will  be  the  better.  But  what  we  ordinary  mortals,  termed 
gardeners,  want  is  for  chemists  to  prepare  for  us  a  preparation  of 
paraffin  containing  a  certain  percentage  of  napthalene,  say  10  per  cent. 
Chemists  could  do  it  easily  by  heat,  but  I  do  not  advise  my  brothers  of 
the  spade  to  try,  for  fear  of  accident,  as  paraffin  flares  so  when  ignited, 
and  too  much  heat  spoils  the  whole  affair,  or  may  do  worse. 
Given  the  naphthalin-paraffin  we  can  go  ahead  in  this  way  : — Dis¬ 
solve  11-  lb.  softsoap  in  a  gallon  of  soft  water  by  boiling,  remove  from 
the  fire  and  add  2  gills  (1  pint)  of  the  compound  whilst  hot  (not  under 
185°,  and  as  near  that  as  may  be),  stirring  briskly  till  amalgamated,  and 
then  dilute  with  hot  water  to  13  gallons.  This  gives  something  like 
1  in  2000  of  naphthalene,  1  in  170  of  paraffin,  and  1  in  100  of  softsoap. 
At  that  strength  there  is  no  danger  of  injury  to  tender  foliage,  whilst  it 
would  kill  either  fungi  or  insects  in  their  yonng state.  Then,  in  degrees 
upwards,  it  could  be  “  stiffened  ”  so  as  to  suit  mature  or  not  tender 
foliage  and  bard-to-he-killed  full  grown  or  adult  insects,  bringing  the 
naphthalene  up  to  1  in  1000,  paraffin  1  in  85,  and  softsoap  1  in  50  by 
only  diluting  the  corapound  to  gallons.  At  this  strength  there  is 
little  danger  of  injuring  the  roots,  and  it  certainly  must  kill  all  soil 
pests  and  afterwards  act  as  manure. 
The  foregoing  is  a  homely  way  of  doing  things,  and  could,  no  doubt, 
be  improved  upon  ;  but  I  prefer  to  let  chemists  prepare  more  concen¬ 
trated  forms,  such  as  naphthalin-paraffin  compound.  First  get  this — 
10  per  cent,  napthalin  in  paraffin  oil  ;  then,  second,  softsoap  dissolved 
in  an  equal  amount  of  rain  water  ;  and,  third,  take  one  part  of 
naphthalin-paraffin  and  six  parts  of  softsoap  solution  and  emulsify.  If 
that  is  not  clear  enough  to  the  chemical  mind,  put  it  this  way  : — 
Naphthalin 
Paraffin  oil 
Softsoap... 
Kain  water 
1  ^  one  part. 
10  oza.J 
33  ozs.  ( 
,33  ozs.  j 
si.K  parts. 
Amalgamate  the  naphthalene  with  the  paraffin  oil  by  leat,  dissolve 
the  softsoap  in  the  water  by  heat,  and  at  185°  add  the  naphthalene- 
paraffin,  and  thoroughly  emulsify.  Place  in  boxes  or  jars,  and  label 
naphthalene-paraffin-potassium  compound. 
Altogether  there  is  some  4  lbs.  of  compound,  and  this  will  make 
25  gallons  of  solution,  sufficiently  strong  to  kill  aphides,  without 
injury  to  the  tenderest  foliage.  This  is  in  the  proportion  of  1  part 
compound  to  62^  parts  water  =  1  lb.  compound  to  fii  gallons  of  water. 
The  naphthalene,  therefore,  runs  1  in  4000,  paraffin  1  in  400,  and  soft- 
soap  1  in  120  parts  water  respectively.  In  ordinary  practice  softsoap  is 
used  in  the  proportion  of  1  in  80  =  2  ozs.  to  a  gallon  of  water,  and 
petroleum  1  in  192  =  a  wineglassful  (2  ozs.  fluid)  to  3  gallons  of  water. 
Naphthalene  therefore  strengthens  up  the  compound,  so  that  less 
paraffin  and  softsoap  is  used,  for  after  all  the  new  insecticide*  is  only 
paraffin  emulsion  naphthalenised.'  In  the  same  way  phenol  could  be 
used  advantageously,  and  other  substances  of  similar  series. 
To  get  at  root  pests  we  must  come  down  to  naphthalin  or  naphthalene 
(the  older  name)  at  lessened  solution,  1  in  1000  of  naphthalene  being 
about  the  thing  for  disinfecting  purposes,  and  then  comes  the  question 
of  safety  for  the  p’ants  when  used  during  their  growth.  About  1  in 
2000  is  as  much  as  root  hairs  can  bear  and  some  not  that,  so  there  mnst 
be  judgment  in  these  matters  as  in  everything  else.  What  may  be  done 
with  paraffin-naphthalene  emulsion  remains  to  be  seen,  but  T  believe  a 
patent  has  been  applied  for  both  in  this  country  and  on  the  Continent,  but 
the  whole  business  is  well  known  to  chemists,  though  the  form  is  not 
such  as  the  science  would  lead  us  to  expect,  for  we  want  naphthalene  in 
such  soluble  form  as  may  be  used  at  a  strength  of  not  less  than  1  in  100 
parts  for  root  pests,  when,  but  not  before,  it  may  rank  with  soluble 
phenyle,  and  similar  preparations  for  effective  use  as  eelwormicides, 
germicides,  fungicides,  insecticides,  and  miticides. — G.  Abbey. 
*  Paraffin-Naphthalene  Emulsion,  Pharm.  Centralh  xxxviii,  242  (“  Phar¬ 
maceutical  Journal.”) 
Events  of  the  Week. — The  number  of  Rose  Shows  is  now  rapidly 
dwindling,  and  soon  will  be  over  for  1897.  A  list  of  those  still  to  be 
held  will  be  found  on  page  52.  On  Saturday,  July  17th,  the  National 
Viola  Society  will  hold  its  exhibition  in  the  Royal  Botanic  Gardens,  as 
wilt  the  National  Carnation  and  Picotee  Society  on  the  following 
Wednesday. 
-  Weather  in  London  — Though  we  have  had  many  indica¬ 
tions  of  rain  in  the  metropolis  during  the  past  seven  days,  none  ha& 
fallen.  As  a  rule  the  days  have  been  warm,  but  on  one  or  two  nights 
the  winds  have  been  quite  cold.  A  warm,  steady  rain  of  some  hours 
duration  followed  by  fine  weather  would  be  greatly  appreciated. 
-  Carlisle  Show.— The  schedule  of  the  exhibition  of  the 
Carlisle  and  Cumberland  Horticultural  Society,  to  he  held  in  the  Drill 
Hall,  Carlisle,  on  November  10th  and  11th,  comprises  nearly  sixty 
classes,  some  of  which  are  open  and  others  restricted.  Some  of  the 
prizes  are  very  good,  while  others  are  comparatively  small,  but  it  is 
hoped  they  will  prove  sufficiently  good  to  insure  a  fine  exhibition. 
-  Freaks  of  Tomatoes. — I  notice  in  your  Journal  of  the 
8th  inst.  a  paragraph  on  the  above  subject,  and  your  correspondent 
would  like  to  know  if  any  of  jour  readers  have  had  similar  experienco. 
I  am  an  amateur,  growing  about  forty  plants,  and  have  one  plant  which, 
after  making  eight  leaves,  instead  of  growing  in  the  ordinary  way,  is 
crowned  with  five  trusses.  It  has  two  fruits  and  about  sixty  blooms, 
some  just  setting,  some  fully  expanded,  and  some  not  yet  opened.  The 
variety  is  Goldfinder.  All  my  plants  are  from  3  to  4  feet  high,  and 
well  set  with  fruit. — John  Pillmoor,  Grove  Terrace,  York. 
-  Mr.  G,  J.  Symons. — The  Albert  medal  for  the  present  year 
has  been  awarded,  with  the  approval  of  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
the  President  of  the  Society  of  Arts,  to  Mr.  G.  J.  Symons,  F.R.S.,  “  for 
the  services  he  has  rendered  to  the  United  Kingdom  by  affording  to 
engineers  engaged  in  the  water  supply  and  the  sewage  of  towns  a  trust¬ 
worthy  basis  for  their  work,  by  establishing  and  carrying  on,  during 
nearly  forty  years,  systematic  observations  (now  at  over  3000  stations) 
of  the  rainfall  of  the  British  Isles,  and  by  recording,  tabulating,  and 
graphically  indicating  the  results  of  these  observations  in  the  annual 
volumes  published  by  himself.” 
-  Birmingham  Show.  —  The  Chrysanthemum'  Show,  annually 
held  in  the  capital  of  the  Midlands,  has  long  been  celebrated  for  its 
excellence  —  in  fact  it  is  one  of  the  very  finest  of  the  provincial 
exhibitions.  This  year  it  bids  fair  to  excel  itself,  for  the  Committee, 
desirous  of  showing  the  Society’s  loyalty  to  our  Queen,  has  added 
£50  to  the  prize  list,  and  in  addition  offers  nine  cups  in  two  classes,  the 
value  of  these  ranging  from  £25  to  £3.  One  is  for  a  floral  arrange¬ 
ment,  and  the  other  for  a  collection  of  fruit,  but  the  particulars  of  these 
and  the  remaining  eighty-eight  classes  may  be  had  from  the  schedule. 
The  dates  fixed  are  November  10th,  11th,  and  12th,  in  the  Bingley  Hall. 
Mr.  J.  Hughes,  140,  High  Street,  Harborne,  Birmingham,  is  the  excel¬ 
lent  Secretary,  to  whom  all  communications  must  he  addressed* 
-  Improved  Varieties  op  Flowers  — In  raising  seedlings  of 
ornamental  trees,  fruits,  or  flowers  there  stre  noted  great  variations  in 
every  character,  from  leaves  to  flowers  and  fruits.  It  is  the  practice  of 
those  who  wish  to  improve  or  obtain  new  varieties  to  watch  for  such 
variations  as  may  be  in  the  line  they  desire  to  improve.  For  instance,  a 
plant  which  usually  bears  entire  leaves  may  have  some  seedlings  with 
the  leaves  slightly  lobed.  If  seeds  are  taken  again  from  these  the 
probabilities  are  that  fine,  cut-leaved  varieties  will  eventually  be 
obtained.  So  with  the  forms  or  characters  of  flowers.  Any  tendency 
noted  in  a  seedling  to  vary  in  a  line  we  may  think  to  be  an  improve¬ 
ment  is  selected  for  seed,  and  in  that  way  the  desired  improvements  are 
secured  in  the  progeny.  The  Germans,  who  are,  says  a  transatlantic 
journal,  famous  for  their  patience,  and  are  willing  to  wait  two  or  three 
years  for  good  results,  are  among  the  foremost  in  this  branch  of  flower 
progress.  Many  improvements  in  garden  flowers  are  made  known  to  us 
by  the  efforts  of  German  seedsmen,  although  the  French  are  rapidly 
competing  with  them  in  this  line. 
