Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-08-24
TOBACCO FOR INSECT PESTS.
It's Value as an Exte1minator. and Cost
CT Raising It

:
Those who do not use the weed will b
glad to know, probably, that tobacco ca
after al be elassed among the things mad
for some wise purpose" The recen
:. sxsicisia the RECORD UNION in relation t
is being successfully raised by George Spiker
who has five acres of fine growth and qualit.
on the Lowell ranch, few miles from thi
city. has already produced considerable inter
est N regard to It's culture in this State, AMI
especially as it can be grown at so small al
expense that it promises to come into genera
use IL the campaign against the insect pest
now threatening the entire fruit interests O
the State, and for the determination Of which
| County Horticultural Boards are being organ
| ICED throughout the State. Matthew Cooke,
Chief Executive Officer of the State Board,
states that tobacco was used in England as
an insecticide or for the extefmination of H.
sect pests, as long ago as during the pest Wis.
itation IN that country at the beginning OF
| the present century. Ia the year 1885 the
red spider made its first appearance Ill En-
| gland, upon pear trees, and at the same tine
beetle came which turned its entire atten-
! ton to tuInips, proving very destructive to
! that class Of vegetables, and these continued
until lS0S, when they disappeared.
TIE REMEDIES DISCOVERED.
During these years various experiments
! were made to find effective remedies, and the
/ first found TO be successful was tobacco wa
ter, or Q strong decoction made By boiling
the sale article in water. The cost, however,
was too great to bring this remedy into gem
eraI uss. Soon after, Mr.. Rallett. leading
frnit-growsr, discovered that the refuse
liquor pressed from tobacco i'll its usual man
ufacture was sufficiently strong 80 that one
pound of the liquor put into gallon of water
made wash which was qpite effective when
applied TO trees or vegetables. and produced
n injury. When this became known the
demand grew to be so great for it. that the
manufacturers commenced reducing Il to
make greater rrafts. and soon reduced It so
much that il was only strorg enough to apply
te the trees in the original state 10 which it
was purchased from the factories. In this
manner tine substitute became as costly as
the dacoctiop made from boiling the
tobacco, and the remedy was again
abandoned. The next discovery was
that a wash made from black soap for
what is commonly known as soft sospl and
sulphur, with certain proportion Of mush-
rooms added, for the purpose Of making it
fetid, was nearly equal in effectiveness to that
of tobacco Soon after this the pests disap-
peared, having had their then period OF ex-
istence, but this last remedy, or rather the
potash contained in it, together with sulphur,
as the effective agents, are the basis OF reme-
dies now recommended and in use in this State
The alkali contained in the wash prepare
tons is an excellent insecticide and at the
same time is good fertilizer to the tree.
The effect of the scale insects is to impover-
ish the vitality of the trees and the applica-
ton of alxalies, while acting az an insecticide,
also tends to restore the tree to its natural
vigor. Whale oil or grease is also used in
the preparation for the purpose of making
the sulphur adhere to the tree, and while
sulphur is not an insecticide, insects
viii not go where i, and will soon vacate
any place in which it is found. This prop
erty, or effect produced by sulphur, together
with other results obtained from it, have long
been known. The "Balsam of Sulphur"
which was first manufactured about the year
1000, in Schmalkaid, Germany, and which
was regarded so valuable that repeated
patents we're granted upon it, and litigation
agsius', or to enforce the right thus secured
for its exclusive manufacture and sale, lasted
for nearly two centuries was subsequently,
found to be, in its principal parts, linseed oil
and sulphur. Among the directions printed
for Use of this balsam, III the latter part CT
the sixteenth century, is found this remark:
Z" Its extraordinary power OF healing and 10
resist poison, are proved in that when 1t is
placed On the snout Of any poisonous animal,
such as the spider or scorpion, it incontinent-
ly dies"
TOBACCO THE CHEAPEST REMEDY.
It is now ascertained, however, that to-
bacco, the first known effective remedy for
these pests, and which was thus abandoned
because of It's expensiYeness. can row lie
grown by the fruit-growers themselves in all
parts Of this State, and at cost probably
not to exceed twenty-five per cent. of the
other named remedy. Unlike the other
preparation, also, 1t can be used at all sea-
sons of the year, whether the bloom
is upon the tree or otherwise. In his
new work upon insects and remedies,
about to be published by Mr.. Cooke, speaking
of success which has been achieved by the use
of tobacee, he says, in dealing with the black
scale: " Mr.. Ellwood Cooper, of Santa Bar
bara, mas successfully cleaned 3. 500 besriog
olive trees by washing them with decoction
Of tobacco used at temperature Of $50 de-
grees. Mr.. Cooper grows tobacco for this
purpose, and states that il costs only from
one and half to two cents psr pound to raise
it, Including the total cost for labor, use of
ground, etc. Twenty pounds OF tobacco will
wash one hundred trees, and can be applied
at any time, as it will not iojure foliage nor
blossom"
Mr.. Cooper is the most successful grower
Of olives and manufacturer of olive oils
OF a high standard, in California,
and has found that go long as there is any
scale on the trees q choice article of oil can
not be produced, but that now he has sue,
cseded in clearing his trees with the use OF
tobacco, and is this year raising two acres of
this plant. This might seem like making
generous provision for this purpose; but,
taking into consideration that in addition to
the 8 800 olive trees Mr.. Cooper has also in
bearing 4, 500 English walnut and 800 al
moud trees it will be seen that if two acres
of tobacco, if grown at small expense, will
afford an effective remedy for so large an
orchard, it will be an economical and cheap
war upon the existing enemies to the fruit in
terests of the State.
ToLLNG OF BELLs.-Recently, when
member of the Fire Department died, the
fire bell on Fifth street was tolled at night,
and very many people, apprehensive of the
decease of the President of the United States,
supposed that that anticipated event had be-
come reality, and this led to much excite
ment and caused many citizens needless pain.
A member Of the Exempt Firemen's Associa-
alton is now at the point of death, with no
hope of recovery, and the tolliug of the fire
bell signaling his decease may be heard at
any moment, day or night. To avoid confu-
sion and misapprehension, in view of the fact
that President Garfield is in such critical
condition, Chief Engineer Sullivan says that
the tolling of the large bell on the Fifth
street truc<-house must be understood as an
uouucing the death Of an Exempt or of some
member of the Paid Department, but that
should the sad news of the death of the Presi-
dent be received, then all the bells of the De.
partment will be toled, and that other bells
Of the city viii follow with like announce
ment. Is may here be noted that so settled
in the public mind is the conviction that the
President cannot survive his long struggle
with the iuj1ry the assassin gave him that the
San Francisco papers have already announced
sn order made there for the assembling Of the
Board of Supervisors Immediately on the re.
ceipt Of the news OF the death of General
Garfield, and without any further notice.
Ar-cr,oN G.rr q ~ p-ou-r g. r. will