Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-11-13
NASHVILLE TENN. FRIDAY. NOVEMBER ls, 1874
POISONED VEGETATION.
The Manifold Perns OF Using Paris
Green.

II.
Green.
In paper read before the American
Academy Of Science, lest week, Prof lie
Conte expressed the following rather start
ling views:
call attention to the extensive use of
Paris or Schweinfurth qeen for destroying
insects injurious to agriculture. Paris
green is mixture of arsenite and acetate
Of copper, and in the result of certain en-
pirical experiments has been recommended
as destructive to the Colorado potato
beetle, and, in fact, as a universal remedy
against injurious insects which appear in
masses. Now arsenic and copper are
pOisons which act with equal energy
upon plants and animals. The
material, though diffused upon the leaves
OF the plants to be protected, which are
incapable of absorbing it. is speedily car
ried into the soil, and if used annually it is
merely matter OF time how many years
viii elapse before the soil is poisoned so as
to prevent the growth of all vegetation.
The chemical possibilities which may result
IN the poisoning Of the vegetation raised
from the soil will leave TO be developed by
my colleagues. l solemnly protest against
the loose manner in which, on the recon-
mendation Of persons who have observed
only the effects Of these Poisons upon the in
sect pests to which their attention has been
directed, most dangerous material has been
placed in the hands Of large mass Of
unedncated men. The manufacture Of
this poison has increased to fearful ex-
tent A friend, residing in one Of the
great agricultural eenters Of the West.
writes that the druggists Of his town order
n 1.uf l,of 80. -. ~ n
potato beetle, which has been the chief
cause ofthe use of Paris green in agricul-
ture, commenced in the West many years
ago, and its extension at a regular rate was
predicted by entomOlOgiSts. The predie-
ton has been verified almost 10 a year.
Now, 1t was within the power of
the Government, through a properly Or
ganized Scientific Bnreau for the Protection
OF Agriculture, to have the subject investi-
gated by a commission and recommend
proper measures to be adopted. The use
Of metallic poisOns would not be one Of
them, but human labor, properly oOmpen-
sated and intelligently employed, might
have been one Of the agents employed to
avert national calamity such as has come
upon US.
An interesting discussion followed the
EcduluS Oi THIS paper. All Lne members
who took part in it approved DR.. lie COnte's
views as to the danger of using Paris
green. Prof. ,Sillman had heard Of several
instances Of loss of human life from care
lessness in its use for killing cOckroaches.
Prof. Alexander said that there were we'll
established cases where its employment
as a cOlOring matter, for wall paper,
had resulted in poisoning persons who
were affected after only half an
hour spent in the rooms hung with such
paper. DIR. Mitchell referred 70 a number
Of cases Of poisoning by this substance.
IL might be that the soil in which it was
strewn impaired poisoning influence to
plants before refusing to yield its product,
and that the plants 50 affected acted in
juriOusly upon the human system DR.. lie
COnte sharply criticised the Agricultural
Bureau at Washington for falling to in
vestigate this subject. The use Of styrch-
nine in fields to kill crows was referred to
by another member, who thought that this
most indescrutible Of poisons might affect
the vegetation.