The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1894-05-23
NEVADA AGRICULTURAL EXPERT
MENT STATION.
Is There Danger Of Poisoning From Eating
Sprayed Fruit?
Newspaper Bulletin No. a..

This is a question which been asked
many times, and undoubtedly the
fear Of possible harm has kept many
from using this valuable method of
combating insect foes. To allay any
such fears, and thus perhaps prevent
the disuse of insecticide sprays in
many cases where they are really
needed, this newspaper bulletin is
published. The only sprays used as
insecticides which are at all dangerous
to use are the arsenic compounds, and
the copper compounds, though these
latter are not as poisonous as the for
mer. Both Paris green and London
purple have been used extensively for
many years in this country as insect
icides and n case OF fatal poisoning
has yet to be recorded. The great
danger lies in having the poison about
the ranch in bulk. The supposed dam
ger has developed a great deal Of OPP
position to the use of Parisgreen, and
1t has been but u year or 80 since the
sale of American apples in English
markets received a setback from this
supposed danger of arsenical poison
ing from their consumption.
II was shown in 1878 by McMurtrie,
OF d. S. Department of Agriculture,
that the most rigorous chemical analy-
sis detects no arsenic in the compost
ton of plants taken from a soil 80 sat
urated with P%arisgreen that the plants
wilted from it's influence, thus it can
be safely assumed that plants and
vegetables can convey the poison to
the only through the very
small quantity of arsenic which may
be left from spraying on the edible
part Of the plant. 1t would seem at
first thought that the use of P~arisgreen
on a plant like the cabbage would be
very unsafe, but the absence Of danger
has been shown by Professor Gillette,
of the Colorado Station, as follows:
"Where the green is busted from a
bag in the proportion of one ounce to
one hundred ounces of flour, and just
enough-applied TO each head TO make
a slight show OF dust on the leaves,
say, for twenty-eight heads one onnce
of the mixture, the worms will all be
killed in two or three days, while the
average AMOUNT of poison on each head
will be about o~ne-seventh of a grain.
Fully half o. the powder will fall on
the outside leaves and on the ground,
and thus u person would have to eat
about twenty-eight heads of cabbage to
consume a poisonous dose of arsenic,
even if the balance of the poison re-
manned after cooking.
In the case of spraying apple or
chards there is scarcely q possibility
of injury to the consumer, for where
the poision is used in the proportion of
one pound to two hundred gallons of
water the arsenic will be so distributed
that it will be impossible for a sufic.
ent quantity to collect upon any given
apple to have the slightest injurious
effect upon the consumer. In fact an
individual would have to eat several
barrels OF apples ut q single meal TO
absorb u fatal dose. An experiment
showing the minute quantity of arsenic
used to one tree in ordinary spraying
was made by Professor A. J.. Cook of
Michigan. He placed thick paper
under a tree and thoroughly sprayed
the tree on a windy day So that the
dripping was excessive. After drip