The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1898-07-20
BISULPHIDE OF CARBON.
ChemistrY's Deadliest Enemy to Germ
and Pests.

DlSui pnIue VI carOOn mas become of
late years one of the most useful agents
known to chemistry. 1t is a colorless,
ill-smelling liquid, which evaporates so
rapidly when exposed to the atmosphere
thai when quantity of it is poured out
upon the grass in the sunshine boar frost
rapidly forms about the spot Perhaps
| the most important use of the bisulphid e
arises from its quality as germicide.
1t is deadly enemy to life, both animal
I'D vegetable. It's practical. use as a
germicde and ins ecticide depends in
large part upon its rapid evaporation,
and upon the fact that the resultant gas
is much heavier than atmospheric air.
The very last application of bisulphide
OF carbon was made the other day by a
farmerin northern Delaware. He poured
quantity of the stuff down rat hole.
waited beside the hole with club and
in ten or twelve minutes killed twenty
five rats. The liquid, evapOr&ted as it
went, formed heavy gas that quickly
| permeated every part of the burrow be-
| W the vent, and the suffocating rats
made for the open air as rapidly as pos
sible only to encounter the farmer IS club.
The astonishing thing to those that know
the deadly character of the gas is that
the rats were able to reach the open all
for many small animals have been kno wn
to perish in a vain attempt to escape IL g
fumes of the bisulphide.
Milers and the Sners of grain eleva-
tors look upon the bisulphide of carbon
as one of their useful agents. When a
mill, an elevator or granary becomes
infested with weevl bisu'phide of car
bon is the cheapest and mos effective
! thing to exterminate the pest. SO dead :
ly is the gas, however, and so rapidly
does it act, that the utmost care must -
taken in applying the bisulphide. 1t is
usually sprinkled over the grain from
watering pots. The liquid is rapidly
converted into gas and the latter sinks
quickly through the grain, carrying death
to the weevil and even to the unmatched
eggs.
SO long as the persons applying the
liquid stand above the point of applics.
ton they are pretty safe fom the fumes
but occasionally the workmen breathe q
little of the gas and have to be removed
at once to the open air, as the heart is
quickly paralyzed by the action of the
bisulphide. 1t is usual to treat the low
er floors of granary first, so that those
employed in the work may keep con-
stantly above thegas. Any animal as a
cat or dog, shutup in an apartment
where the bisulphide is doing it's work
is found dead when the place is open
ed.
The officer of an agriculture! expert
ment station, uperintendingthe applica
ton of bisulphide of carbon to ge
farm granary, employed several negroes
to sprinkle the liquid over the grain. He
took the precaution to have them wear
boots, but almost instantly as they tram
pied over the newly sprinkled grain they
began to complain of pains in their feet.
| One insisted that his feet were burning.
They were kept at the work with diff
Guilty. When they finally reached the
open air they were told 70 feel of their
boots. Each snatched away his finger,
exclaiming that his boot was burning
hot. AS matterof fact, although it
was summer day, the boots were very
cold and the feet of the men slightly
frostbitten. The rapid evaporation OF
the bisulphide had greatly reduced the
temperature of the wheat, and it in turn,
had robbe ed the, men of animal heat.
AS the bisulphide is not only fatal to
life, but extremely explosive it has to be
handled,with great care.-New York Sun.