The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-07-26

vices For Poisoning Pcst>-Eattraps of
Many Kinds.
American invention has given birth
TO no end OF freaks, which have been
Fmbalmed IT the patent Office in order
that they may not perish Some Of the
queereSt Of them are devices for entrap-
ping beasts, bugs. fishes and even human
beings
What, for example, could bc funuicr
that the notion of using imitation flow
ers with poisoned hoTcy 10 attract noN-
jous insects: The artificial blossoms
each containing small quantity Of suS
airy liquid properly prepared, are 10 Toe
fastened 10 twigs. Months Of destruct-
i've species sip the deadly nectar and
die. y more elaborate device Of a SINH
lar description i iufendcd for the pro
lection of apple trees. IL l. a tin can COW
cred Is 10 its upper half with luminous
paint On the outside Of the lower half
apple blossoms are represented with the
Same sort of paint. Inside Of the recep-
tacle Is a small quantity Of cider. The
can i 70 be hung ON branch of an APP
pie tree ut night Insects. attracted by
the pictured flowers, light upon the can.
The smell of the cider induces them tc
enter through holes provided for thar
purpose. They then drop down into the
cider and are drowned.
Yet il l. not always easy To diStin-
-uish between crank idea and use
full discovery. The poisoned counterfeitS
Of flowers above described are said 10
work very well. Many years ago n man
got y patent for method OF killing
bugs on trees by incloSinS the whole
tree III a sort OF balloon of canvas, into
which an aSphyXiating gas was 10 be
poured for the purpose of suffocating
the insects Everybody thought he was
a lunatic But now that his patent has
run out the merits of the plan have
suddenly obtained appreciation, and its
adoption Is alleged 10 have saved the
orange growing industry III California
Several kinds of luminous bats for fish
have been patented One of these Is a
minnow of hollow glass coated on the
inside partly with a solution of gold or
silver, and partly with luminous paint
The result l. very brilliant object III
the water. calculated TO attract any pre-
dacious creature with fins. Another in
tereSting coutrivauce l. for making frog
bait more seductive The Jerking of the
line equipped with this device causes
the frogs legs 10 move - If he We're
swimming.
Contrivances for catching insects are
more numerous than any others One of
them Is furnace for Strengthening po-
tato bugs. To begin with, deep and
wide furrow Is TO be plowed all around
an infested field. Through this trench
a smooth log is dragged TO make the
lr,rr
migrating TO other grounds are unable
TO scale the trench, and the furnace,
which Is n cylinder of iron filled with
fuel, is drawn along the furrow and
DESTROYS them Other odd devices are
cartridges intended TO be inserted in the
mouths of ant holes and to be fired,
thus communicating sitting vapors TO
the subterranean chambers, also many
kinds of lamps for attracting and burn
ing MP the moths of various worms in
cotton fields. There Is a toy pistol for
insects, which sucks them in when he
trigger Is pulled
An ingenious westerner has invented
trap for catching the horntiy which
is such an enemy TO cattle in some parts
Of the country. 1t consists most impor-
family of great frame TO which brush
=
the beasts walk through, eager as they
always are 10 scratch themselves, the
flies will be scraped from their bodies
by the branches. Finally the frame is
closed up by means of doors, and the
captured insects are destroyed. Nearly
everybody has heard of the gold tape
worm trap, which the patient swallows
Bedbug traps are of several varieties,
all Of them being intended TO afford at
tractive hiding places for these blood
suckers and 10 be burned or scalded out
afterward.
Much ingenuity has been expended
in rattraps. Some of them are so elab-
crate that no full witted rodent would
20 near them One requires Mr.. Rat 10
come IN through door, which drops
behind and makes hiIn prisoner. See
ing bright light above, he ascends a
flight of little steps and trOts across q
small plank that Is so nicely adjusted as
10 balance that his weight causes 1t 10
Zip and throw him into tank Of
water. Another cOntrivance consists OF
Il double chamber. One chamber has a
glass end, through which Mr.. Rat sees
TWO OF three imitation rats having 4
nice time with a bit Of cheese. Wish
inc 70 Join them, he runs around the
box, gets into the other chamber and
Is caught.
There are Il number of devices which
employ mirrors for the purpose of lur-
ing the rat 10 his fate. He mounts on
top OF a barrel and sees a tOOthsome
piece Of cheese As he approaches 1t he
behOlds another rodent-in reality his
own reflection IN n piece Of looking
glass-cOIning for the cheese from the
opposite direction. He makes a dash 10
get there first, and a pivOted board
drops him into the cask, which Is half
full Of water. Rats will swim for 4
long time, so one humanitarian has