The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-07-30
INSECT POWDER
AND ITS
EFFECT
Description Of Where In Comes
From and How h Should
Be Applied

II there IS one article, other than
kerosene, which is in demand now
more than any other, for. the extermi-
nation Of insects, ami particulars
mosquitoes, il Is PyrsThrum, or what
IS commonly known as Persian insect
powder.
Probably few people know that this
powder is manufactured from a plant
grown upon the Caucasian mountains
at an altitude OF about 4 mile above
sea level, although it IS now being
cultivated in the Uniteli States. The
following scientific description of this
powder and its effect Is from the Uni
ted States Dispensatory, an establish.
ed authority among al! pharmacists
on such subjects, and 1t viii be found
particularly interesting a. this time:
Insect Powder.
Insect Powder. Camoniille de Perse.
FL Persische Bertramblumen, G. Per
sian or Caucasian Insect Powder, or
Guirila, consists OF the flowers OF
PyrethrUm carneum and P. roseum,
growing upon the Caucasian noun
tains. at an elevation OF about a mile
Dalmatian Insect Powder is the pro-
duct of P. Cinerari9folium, and it is
more powerful than tie Caucasian
powder. The plant is now being culti-
waited on a large scale in California,
and as more care is given to the
preservation during drying offhe color
and of the volatile oil than In Dalma-
tia. the California product is said TO
be superior to the foreign drug. (Chem.
and Drug, Aug. 1889; see also for
method Of cultivation.
The insect powder Of commerce va
ries in color from yellow, yellowish
brown or brownish yellow, TO yellow
ish green; the finer qualities verging
towards brown, and the poorer towards
green. Brilliant yellow powder should
be viewed with suspicion. On micro
scopical examination of an insect pow
der, it viii be, found to consist of frag-
ments of inFolucral scales composed
Of sclerenchyma, perhaps bits of
stems composed of collenchymatous
cells, pollen grains, bits of frag-
ments Of the corolla and of it's
epidermis and p2pill8. The alb
sence or scarcity Of pollen in the pow
der shows the absence or scarcity OF
the flowers In the drug: whilst the
proportion Of collenchymatous tissue
indicates the proportion of stems. AS
the activity of the insect powder re-
sides In the flower specimens contain
ing little flowers or mucn of the stems
should be rejected. The powder YIELD
ed by the Dalmatian plant can usually
be distinguished from Persian insect
powder by the following characters:
The outer surface and edges of the
scales of the Dalmatian flowers contain
numerous hairs, consisting OF a long
cell with attenuated ends placed hori-
zontally upon az oneato threecelled
stalk. The Persian flowers are almost
entirely glabrous, a white hoariness
being found only at and near the base
Of the scales, and very few hairs near
the apex; the hairs are OF the same
structure as the preceding, only the
terminal cell being much longer.
Sclerenchymatous cells are much more
numerous In the Persian than in the
Dalmatian. The socallei Hungarian
or Russian daisy, probably q species
OF the subgenus I,eucanthemum, has
been quite largely used and as an adul-
terant. The Importance of the adultera-
ton is increased BY the fact that the
Hungarian daisy appears TO be entire
~ free from insecticidal properties.
The Hungarian Daisy is distinguished
from the true Pyrethrum by the or
ange-yellow disk fiorets, by the de-
preston of the involucrc by its promi-
nent dark receptacle, and the absence
of pubescence and papus. The odor is
less pungent than that OF the true in
sect flower, being moro like that of
matricaria. The difference in odor
is more pronounced on infusing
in warm water. The Hungarian daisy
Yields a powder somewhat darker in
color than true insect powder. Micro
seopicallv. the HHugavasn or Ru1~'-n
daisy differs only in the absence from
the inFolucre and stems OF the peculiar
hairs seen on me scales OF t..e ,rGe -
sect powder, and the presence in
their place Of certain hairs, consisting
OF from four to ten cells, and termi-
mating with a much elongated, thin
walled, or inflated cell. There seems
to be no recognizable difference be-
tween the pollen of the two plants
which yield insect powder and of the
Hungarian daisy.
Insect powder does not appear to
be actively poisonous to man. though
it is said to cause some confusion of
head in those who sleep in close apart
ments where much Of it Is used. Upon
the insects. however, which are apt
to infest the person of man and ami
mails. as wei as bedding and sleeping
Il acts very destructively
first Supplying and chen killing them.
II is scattered over the person. uDon