The Florida agriculturist., 1889-05-08
Pyrethrum Plant.
Ger, N. Y

thrum Cinerarie Folium. From the bios
SONS of this plant an insect powder is
manufactured known by the local name
of Buhach. This is insect powder OF com
merce, and in addition to the large guam
tity of it produced in California, tons
upon tons Oft are annually importedinto
the United States Trieste, Austria, says
the Pacific Rural Press, is the great mar
ket for the product, and it is shipped
from there to all parts of the world. One
firm alone in New York importing $50
tons per year.
If the plant grows well and proftably
in California why will it not do so in Flor
ida? Thatit is profitable in California is
evidenced by the fact that one company
alone in Mreced county, California, has
800 acres of it under cultivation and are
constantly increasing their producing ca
pacity. We clip the following interesting
item concerning one of the great Pyre-
thrum farms from the Pacific Rural Press
which tells of the cultivation and har-
vesting of the flowers:
At present the company has about 800
acres under cultivation in this plant, and
the area is being annually increased as
the demand for the powder becomes
greater. It's cultivation requires careful
and intelligent supervision, and it call
not be successfully grown except by irri-
cation. 1t requires at least three years
from the seed to grow plants capable of
producing a paying crop of flowers, and
then the plant will continue to produce
for four or five years longer, although
it is in it's prime and most productive
when four and five years old. 1t grows
to height of about thirty inches, and is
planted in rows four feet apart and from
fifteen to twenty-four inches apart in the
row. The flowers are generally harvt sted
in the latter part of May The stalks
are cut at the roots of the plant, and
then by hand the flowers are broken off
by passing the stems through sort of
fall into box and are then carried to
the drying ground, where they are spread
upon sheets and exposed to the rays of
the sun during the day, being often turn
ed in the meantime, and at night are COW
cred to prevent them from absorbing
any moisture. The perfect drying of the
flowers is the most important operation,
as in order to retain the volatile oil
which gives to the powder it's insecticide
properties, it is very necessary that the
flowers should be dried very quickly and
thoroughly, and be protected during the
process from all moisture. A light dew
falling upon the flowers during the dry
ing process will color them and reduce
their insecticide properties. In this re-
spect the California grown flowers are
better cured and consequently more val
liable than those grown in Dalmatia.
1t is also Well-knoWn fact to those fa-
miliar with the Pyrethrum flowers, that
they are liable to be adulterated by the
admixture of flowers of no value, which,
however, closely resemble the Pyrethrum,
and experts may be deceived unless the
powder manufactured from the combina-
tion is thoroughly tested to prove it's in
secticide qualities. In the year 1888
large quantity of the flowers of the Hun
garian daisy was placed upon the mar
ket, mixed with small proportion OF the
true Pyrethrum insect flowers, and the
DOWder made therefrOm was sold at prices