The Red Cloud chief., 1890-04-11
AGRICULTURAL HINTS.
KEROSENE,


10 should However, ~ Csed By GeOvsl.
euiturIsts ~ sm Emulsion.
Insects csn be readily destroyed BY
the application Of kerosene TO their
bodies; but. unfortunately. this sub
stance Ii equally destructive to many
kinds Of plants. Consequently. says .
writer In the New York Ledger, kero.
acne Is not ~ available for the destruc.
ton Of insects ~ we might wish. One
must always, In proposing an insect.
eide which IL TO be applied TO plants.
take into consideration the effect Of the
substance upon the plants
The effect Of kerosene upon plants Is
. puzzlinR matter. end one about which
we arc not able To make generalixa.
lions. We are able To freely wet some
plants with undiluted kerosene without
any %appreciable injuries resulting TO
them. while. on tho other hand. Q small
quantity applied 70 other plants will
usually destroy them. The matter Is
more puzxling when wa ind that certain
Of our hardy forest trees are easily In.
5ured by Kerosene, while certain deli.
cate. tropical h%erbaccous plants are not
injured by IL.
II kerosene could be easily diluted
with water Its uso a. an insccticidc
would doubtless become much more gen.
cral; but IL Is sO much lighter than wa.
ter that, In any attempt to mix tho two
substances, tho Kerosene quickly scpa.
rates from the water and floats upon II.
During recent years considerable at-
tention has been given To making cmul-
siOns Of kerosene which ran be diluted
To u greater or less extent. II Is claimed
by those who have had much more OK.
p%ericnce In tho matter than I, that
these emulsions can be readily made.
and dilutions OF them safely employed
In many cases.
Kerosene emulsion IL made by churn.
ing together milk and Kerosene. In the
proportion OF ono part OF milk and two
parts Of kerosene. The best way u do
the churning IL To use . forcc-pump and
spray nozzlc. and to pump back into the
vessel containing tho mixture. In this
way. the churning u bc done very
thoroughly In n short time. II Il said
that tho emulsion IL formed not grad
ually. but suddenly; In short, to use q
familiar phrase. 1T comes" like butter.
The emulsion. II perfect. forms Q cream
which hardcns on cooling and should
adhere without oilincss to tho surface
Of glass.
In regions where IL Is not easy To get
milk. q solution Of soap made by dis
solving ono pound Of soap In two gallons
Of hot water may be- used ~ q substitute
70: milk. This solution should bc add
al to tho kerosene. boiling hot. and then
the mixture churncd until the emulsion
" formed m described above. For or
binary purposes. In using kerosene
emulsion. 1t II diluted with nine times
itS bulk Of water. In this case ono
pound Of soap and four gallons of kero-
scnc make sixty gallons Of wash.
In using kerosene In this way. great
pains must be- taken to have the emul-
siop q perfect one; otherwise the kerO.
sene will quickly break from II when IL
IL diluted with water. Even then, In
making the application. the wash should
b. frequently stirred. especially IL there
IL the slightest indication ~ the separ-
alton Of the emulsion from the water.
In using either strong alkaline solutions
or kerosene emulsion. I advocate the
making OF preliminary experiments
upon u Few plants. and carefully noting
the results. also the putting % the
remedies only In the hands Of reliable
workmcn; otherwise, through some
mistake or carclcssncss. u great amount
Of injury may bc done.