The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-04-29

what possible deleterious effect could
arise from the consumption of fruit to
which had been applied the arsenites
so deadly to the codling-moth and
other parasites. Regarding the eating
of apples that were treated, the follow
iph reference is made:
.'In case of spraying apple orchards
for the codling moth, there is scarcely =
| possibility Of injury to the consumer Of
the fruit. A mathematical compute
ton will quickly show that where sthe
poison is nsed in the proportion of
pound to 200 gallons of water (tbe
customary proportioD) the arsenic will
be SO distributed through the water
that it will be impossible for a sufficient
quantity to collect upon any given
apple to have the slightest Injurious
effect upon the consumer. In fact,
such computation will indicate be-
yond all peradventure that it will be
necessary for an individual to consume
several barrels of apples at single
meal in order TO absorb fatal dose,
even though this enormous meal be
eaten soon after the spraying, and
should the consumer eat the entire fruit.
"As q matter Of fact careful micro
scopic examinations have been made Of
the fruit and foliage OF sprayed trees at
various intervals after spraying, which
indicate that after the water has evap-
GRATED. the poison soon entirely disap.
pears either through being blown of
by the wind. or washed off by rains, so
that after Is days hardly the minutest
trace can be discovered"
In order. then, to receive fatal dose
Of the poison. an individual must scon
sumo several barrels of apples at sim
gle meal /" Wbew! Please excuse
US from such an experiment to test the
poisonous effects Of sprayed frui, How
foolish to suppose hat one or two apples
could possibly contain sufficient
amount OF the poison to produce any
apparent eject!
10 the line of actual experiment as
indicating the very finely divided state
OF the poison. and the extremely small
quantity which is used to each tree.
Prof. A. j. Cook. o: the Michigan
Agricultural College. has conducted
some striking experiments. A thick
piece Of paper was placed under AN
apple tree which was thoroughly spray.
ed on windy day, 80 that the dripping
was rather excessive. After the drip
ping had ceased, the paper Covering a
space Of y square feet) was analysed,
and fourteuths Of grain of arsenic
was found. Another tree was thor
oughly sprayed, and subsequently the
grass and clover beneath 1t was care
fully cut and fed to horse. without the
slightest sign ofipjury.
/ The whole matter was well summed
up by Prof. Riley. in a recent lecture
before the Lowell Institute. in Boston,
in the following words:
"The latest sensational report Of this
kind was the rumor, emanating from
London, within the last weak, that
American apples we're being rejected
for fear that their use was unsafe. II
we consider for momeut how minute
lis the quantity Of arsenic that can,
under the most favorable circumstances
remain IN the calyx Of an apple, we
shall see at once how absurd this fea,
Is; for. even If the poison that orig
inally killed the worm remained intact
one would have to eat many barrels oil
apples at a meal to get sufficient
Quantity to poison human being.
| Moreover, much Of the poison is
washed off by rain, and some of it ii
thrown off by natural growth of the
apple, SO that there is, as a rule, moth
ing left Of the poison 10 the earnered
fruit. Add to this the further fact
that few people eat apr les raw wiihou,
casting away the calyx and stem ends
the only parts where any poison could,
under any circumstances, remain, and
that these parts are always cut away In
cooking, and We see how utterly
groundless are any fears of 'Djury, and
how useless any prohibitive measures
against American apples on this score.''
Such, then, is the result OF the inyes.
tigation as made by the expert scientists
of the Department of Agriculture, and
various State Agricultural Colleges. 1t
should inspire confidence in the heart Of
every customer of American fruits, and
also cause every lover of justice and
honor to co-operated in the efforts 10