The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-06-24
Car Time at Rstd s,cnw
About Paris Green.

About Paris Green.
In reference to The use of Paris Green.
as a preventative Of the ravages of the po-
tato bug. Mr.. Samuel l.. Allen, Ciuua-
minson n. j., writes to the Phila Press,
date Of June llth, as follows:
Several articles denouncing the use of
Paris Green for stopping the ravages OF
the potato bugs have been going the rounds
of the papers, writtel by physicians aud
others, who speak as those having knowl-
edge, yet whose teachings seem very un.
walranable
"They claim that its use must make tho
tubers poisonous end unfit for food. About
one pound of green to the acre is sufficient.
This would contain 1859 grains. A good
yield of potatoes is about 12j bushels, or
500 lbs; so that it is nccdful to use about
one grain of poison to the pound of pota-
toes grown. By short calculation it will
also be found tuat there are over 9, 900 600
pounds of SOIL counsing nine inches deep,
10 the acre, or about 27j pounds to each
pound of potatoes raised. If then. we sup
pose the Paris green equally distributed
shrough this ody of earth, and admitting
that the potato is willing to absorb an
equal propNr;onate weigh; of green as Of
suitable nutriment, each pound Of potatoes
should contain 1,275 TART Of a grain OF
Paris green whilst Il dose to II human be.
ing is between one and Two grains.
But the tuner consists largely Of water
aud plants do not absorb eartns, or at mos
very slightly, hat dlaw their nourishment
from solutions of the food presented. The
remarkable efficacy Of liquid manures is
familiar example
"Paris green is however, stated to be
insoluble ald therefore could not be absor
bed readily. If physicians tell us that the
tubers absorb to m injurious extent an ir
solutle poison of which bt,t 20 rart of Il
grain to the pound of product has even q
chance of absorption. what would they say
if they remembered that same plan, a,
well as the whole list of vegetables, wa.
universally grown by surrounding the root:
with p bulky mass of decomposing vegeta.
BILE fibre an animal excrement Of the most
revolving description, and such as would
be, if taken directly into the human system
u most terrible poison? by many well-au,
theuticated examples we know that FIRE
queut deaths have been the result of drink
ing water from well poisoned by de
composing animal carcass, Now just tha
kind of poison is largely used in the grow
ing of potato crop. The average qron
iity of decomp0siug animal matter apple,
is probably about ten TO is, or 2O.0U
pounds, though often double this amouEt
10 the acre. In other words about .
! pounds of these decomposing peStiferou
PN.compuunds. forbidden proximity to dwell
liDgs by law. are placed in the ground {,
produce q yield Of one pound Of potatoes
Net eighty millions cf people in this coun
sry and Great Britain alone make them
prominent article of food; and the croI
grown where :he largest amounts of these
posons are used is considered the best.
"rhe probability of the tuber absorbing
an appreciable amount of the poison
shrough the leaves is extremely problem
atical, as the office of the leaves is ont
chiefly of exhalation, as the familiar bell
glasses and Wardian cases indicate. Again
the potatoe is u solanum, belonging TO III
sare class as the deadly nigbtshade, it
leaves poisonous, which, no doubt. is III
cause Of the poisonous nature of the Colo
ridO beetle, which feeds upon them. Th
skin of the tubers is also poi sOnOus, watel
in winch potatoes with the skins on hav
been boiled being known to poison stock
yet no food IS more universal or heallhfu
than the potato.
''The fear of Paris green applied il
such limited quantities as is usual, beiu
.deleterious to the health Of those using thu
tubers, L believe to be an error arising
from want of knowledge of the manner o
growth of the crop; and this seems ampl
proven. too, by the well-known fact tha
Western farmers have for years apple,
this remedy and eaten the potatoes witt
impunity.
~ believe Paris green is the remedy 70
the Colorado potato beetle-safe, cheaI
and etfectual-and hope farmers will appl
it carefully, and that no one will dream
that its application to land at the rate o
one grain to each 27j pounds of soil, or il
the proportion of one part Of poison to 2,
112,OOO parts Of soil, will injure the crop.
One who has given the subject some at
tention, recommends the mixing of on
part of Paris green with six parts of flour
and busting the compound on the vine
when they are dry. A good and ehea
dusttng boz can be made by punchin
small holes i'll the bottom of discarde
fruit can. Care should be taken to ii
something over the tsp Of the can, and
handkerchief or cloth over the mouth an
nose, so as to prevent the inhaling of any {
the poison