The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-08-09
USES so MUCH POISON THAT
SOIL IS INJURED DECLARES
AN EXPERT
Advises Oil Instead of
Other Drugs
Sap and Kerosene Said to Be Use
full in Making Preparations to
Get Rid of Noxious Insects in
Field.

II 1tlU.
The American farmer, next to the |
druggist, is today the greatest of all |
users of violent poisOns and bids fair |
to be the most popular dope fiend"
OF the coming generation so far as
the fight against insect pests is con-
cerned according to A. c. Burrill, en-
tomolOgist Our state chemist and
Investigators in other states warn us
that there is danger of drugging the
soil so thoroughly that the plants or
their products may be poisoned even
tually. Hence, oils which evaporate
or break down into fertilizer mater
ials are welcome and otter prove the
best remedy for aphis, red spider,
scale insects and other sucking bug
pests.
In order of their adoption, kerosene
lat least as early as 1853 in France),
turpentine 0S77 or earlier), whale
oil, distillate, linseed, crude and cot
tonseed oils have had their support
ers. Only lately have the heavier oils
been tested and found to be efficient
contact insecticides. All oils are dan
gerous to use unless emulsified and
so are commonly combined with some
soap to form such emulsions Tur-
pentine is no longer used and whale
oil only in the form of ready-made
whale-oil soap, costing from eight to
twenty cents a pound. CottOnseed oil
may supplant linseed oil if the price
of linseed oil continues to advance,
now quoted at $1.25 a gallon whole
sale as against $122 for cottonseed
oil, whereas linseed used to be $1.0O
a gallon. AS price figures largely in
these matters, kerosene in barrel lots
at 15c gallon, or distillates and
crude oil still cheaper are more pop
ular in the west. Some of them are
sold already emulsified at a slightly
greater price but not so great but
that it saves the farmer money if he
figures his time in the labor of max
ing home made emulsions
Kerosene emulsion was first to be
used, emulsified with milk or sour
milk or condensed milk without heat
ing, and still to be recommended
where the water is too hard to form
| stable emulsions. Mix and immedi-
ately churn the cold liquids by a
force pump until a perfect emulsion
is obtained. The mixture assumes
a thick buttery consistency like cold
cream. If sweet milk is used a little
vinegar hastens the process. If not
kept in air tight jars. this mixture
will ferment:
Kerosene, 2 gallons.
Condensed milk quarts.
Water quarts
Or
Kerosene 2 gallons.
Sour milk one gallon or sweet mill
the same.
Soap is preferred as the emulsify
ing agent when soft water can b,
obtained, according to the Riley-Hub
bard formula (1SS4 in the report o
the Comm issioner of Agricultural il
making a stock solution first, late
to be diluted for use:
Hard or whale oil soap u Mound.
, Water 1 gallon.
Kerosene 2 gallons.
Shave or slice soap, into the boil
ing water till dissolved; take fror
fire and add oil, and at once pum
back onto itself with a hand or fore
pump until it is creamy white. Tes
> a drop on a smooth glass or part c
a broken window pane. If no O
runs down the slanting pane, it
3 well emulsified. This forms thre
gallons of stock solution, and can h.
of course, made in much less quaint
q ties for home gardens. There al
t two ways of getting the number {
e gallons of water to add to reduce I
the proper strengths recommends
for spraying summer and winter
For example, for a Is per cent So
luton, divide 200 by the percentag
Il substract 3 from the answer for II
d number of gallons water to add
s the gallons of the &C 1-3 per Gel
d oil stock solution.
J. Or from the per cent you have SUI
tracted the per cent you want ar
divide by the per cent you want
= each gallon of stock, or 10 1-3 ga
\ Ions to gallons of stock solution.
/ Kerosene is used one ounce to
\ square feet of water where mosuuit,
I are breeding in stagnant pools.
| needs to be renewed fortnightly
' less often on rain barrels OF aft
, heavy storms, and is especially to
' recommended to railroads keepil
! fire barrels at depots and wood
\ bridges.
Cooks soft soap kerosene emulsi,
I was brought out ten years earlier
| 1878 in Michigan Bulletin So and col
\ bined carbolic acid, making it go
! for root maggots. We mention II
I more out of respect to the late Pr
\ Cook, horticultural commissioner
F, the state of California, as the pl
vious formulas are more used.