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Household and Garden Pests: Arsenite

White Arsenic. - This is cheaper and of more uniform strength than Paris green. It may be used safely with Bordeaux mixture, or in connection with soda or lime, but it cannot be safely used alone. 2 Arsenite of Soda for Bordeaux Mixture. - Sal-soda crystals, 4 pounds; water, 1 gallon. Mix and dissolve. Add 1 pound of white arsenic and boil until dissolved. Add water to replace what has boiled away so as to leave 1 gallon of arsenite of soda. This is stock solution. Use 1 pint of this stock solution with 50 gallons of Bordeaux mixture.

Arsenite of Lime. - White arsenite if used alone may be prepared as foldows; sal-soda crystals, 1 pound; water, 1 gallon. Mix and dissolve.

White arsenic, 1 pound. Add this and boil until dissolved. Fresh slaked lime, 2 pounds. Add this and boil 20 minutes. Add 2 gallons of water to make stock solution. Use 1 quart of this stock solution to 50 gallons of water.

Arsenite of Lead or Disperene.- This preparation is very useful against beetles and similar insects, which are hard to poison. It can be applied in large quantities without harm to foliage, and adheres to the foliage a long time. This has been used almost exclusively by the Gypsy Moth Commission of Massachusetts, and is strongly recommended by them. It forms a whitish coating on foliage, so it is easy to see whether or not the ar senite has been sprayed and when it has been washed off by rain. For the potato bug it has been found a more effective insecticide than Paris green.

It costs more than Paris green, but remains suspended longer in the water, and hence can be applied more evenly and goes farther. The formula is: arsenite of lead, 1 to 2 pounds; water, 50 gallons. It is ready for use as soon as the paste is mixed with the water.

Hellebore. - This poison is not so strong as Paris green and other arsenites, and loses its strength after being exposed to the air, hence it can be used to spray fruit a short time before ripening. It is in common use on currants, gooseberries, and other small fruits. It may be applied either dry or mixed with water. For a solution use fresh white hellebore, 1 ounce; water, 3 gallons. Apply when thoroughly mixed. This is for insects which chew, as turnip worms, gooseberry worms, currant worms, and sawflies. Lime, Sulphur, and Salt Wash. - This mixture is commonly used on the Pacific Coast against the San José scale. The formula is: lime, 15 pounds; sulphur, 25 pounds; salt, 15 pounds. Water, sufficient to make 50 gallons after boiling.

This wash may be boiled in an iron kettle. Heat the water before adding the lime and sulphur. The sulphur must be thoroughly dissolved.

Pour the mixture through a strainer into the sprayer. The best results are obtained by applying this wash while warm. It must be applied only in the winter while the tree is dormant.

This is used against the San José scale, apple and pear scab, and leaf curl.

Oregon Wash. - Same as lime, sulphur, and salt wash, but substitute blue vitriol for salt. Use in the same manner for the same purposes.