An Improved Insecticide and Fertilizer.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Feb., 1892-Accented, 19th Mar., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE BIOLYTIC GYPSE COMPANY, of Troy, New
York, United States of America.]
An Improved Insecticide and Fertilizer.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
I have discovered that the precipitated solid product from the boiled mixture of
soda-ash, or black-ash and unslacked lime and water, as practiced for making caustic
soda solutions, possesses virtues and properties which constitute it an effective
insecticide and an excellent fertilizer, when the said precipitated product is reduced
to a finely powdered condition, and that it will tenaciously adhere to the foliage,
blossoms and fruits of plants, shrubs and trees, and when applied to the same, by
dusting or sprinkling, it operates effectively to destroy nearly, if not all kinds of
insects, worms and vermin which infest the same, and also when deposited in a
finely powdered condition in small quantities in the soil with seeds, it operates not
only as a destroyer of wire-worms, grubs and other worms, which feed on and
destroy the sprouts and rootlets of sprouting seeds, but as a fertilizer.
This precipitated product from the cooked or boiled mixture of soda-ash, or
black-ash, unslacked lime and water may generally be obtained from works making
caustic soda liquor preparatory to making caustic soda of commerce and also for use
for making chemical fibre from vegetable substances.
This caustic-soda liquor from which the product, called "lime mud " is precipitated
may be produced by means as follows:-
:-
Take soda-ash of commerce, or black-ash, of say about forty eight (48) per cent.
strength, and unslacked lime, in proportion of about one hundred (100) pounds.of
the former to from forty (40) to sixty (60) pounds of the latter, according to its
strength, or purity, and desolve the same in a suitable quantity of water, and while
stirring this mixture continually boil the same from one to three hours or more;
after this boiling, the solution is allowed to settle, when the undissolved matters,
which constitute the "lime-mud" will be precipitated, while the caustic soda liquor
or lye will stand as clear liquor above the same and may be drawn off for storage,
or for use, leaving the precipitated solid matters or "lime-mud" at the bottom of
the vessel, and from which it may be readily removed by a shovel or other suitable
means to any selected place of deposit, or for immediate treatment to give it the
necessary condition for rendering available its newly discovered virtues and
properties for destroying insects, worms &c., infesting plants, and for fertilizing
soils. After the caustic soda lye has been drawn off from the precipitated solid
matters constituting the said "lime-mud," the said solid matter will be found to be
saturated with the caustic soda lye which the said "lime-mud" retains. The drying
of this "lime-mud" only expells therefrom the water and leaves the caustic-soda,
or hydrate of sodium, which is contained in the saturating lye, combined with the
carbonate of lime and other substances mixed together, when this "lime-mud
dried. The proportions of this caustic soda or hydrate of sodium to the carbonate
of lime in the composition, thus produced, varies according to the strength of the
caustic soda lye, which originally saturated the substance of the said “lime-mud,”
and in all cases the strength of the saturating lye is determined by the quantity of
water the above described mixture of soda-ash and unslacked lime was originally
cooked or boiled in.
" is

page_text: The necessary condition of this "lime-mud," under which its substance may have
its virtue and properties made available for practical use for destroying insects,
worms, &c., on plants and for fertilizing soils, is that of a fine division of the
matters composing this "lime-mud" so as to give it a fine powder or dust like form,
whereby a small quantity may be made to uniformly cover-as a light or fine film,
or dust deposeta comparatively large arear of surface and be applied by
dusting, sprinkling or spraying the surfaces of the leaves and blossoms without
braking or in the least injuring the delicate texture, fuzz or down on the same.
The reduction of this "lime-mind " to the said fine powder or dust like condition
may by effected by any suitable means whereby the water will first be expelled
from the solid matters of this substance, and the solid matters be broken or crushed
and reduced to a fine powder or flour like form. This expulsion of the water, for
drying the said substance, can be effected by means of any suitable drying apparatus,
while the reduction of the dried product to a powder or flour like condition can be
effected by means of ball mills, or rollers, or running stones or other crushing or
grinding devices as may be prefered. When reduced to a suitable degree of
fineness, this product is in condition for use and may be put up in packages of any
suitable kind for convenience for handling, transportation, storage, and sale, and
may be kept in store without deterioation or change of condition until used..
In this new article of manufacture, in its finely powdered condition when used
for repelling or distroying insects, worms, vermin, &c., infesting plants, the
carbonate of lime because of its bulk, operates as a vehicle for effecting a dis-
tribution of the caustic-soda, or hydrate of sodium, in such small quantity to
the surfaces of the leaves, blossoms or other parts of plants that while the said
solvant (hydrate of sodium) may be in quantity sufficient to destroy insects &c.,
it will be sufficiently small in its applied quantity as to be harmless in its
action on the tissues of the plants with which it may come in contact; while
when used for a fertilizer by application to the soil the carbonate of lime in its
powdered condition also operates as a vehicle for bringing and holding both the
hydrate of sodium, carbonic acid and other substances, which operate to make
available plant-food, in the soil, and which is combined with the said carbonate
of lime, in suitably distributed small quantities in contact with the soil so that
while those solvants of minerals and organic matters, in the soil, operate to
make available such minerals and matters for the norishment and growth of
plants, they will not be applied to the soil in such an excess as to injure the
roots or tender shoots or sprouts of plants.
This article is to be applied to the foliage and blossoms, or branches of plants, at
about the times insects, worms, or other vermin begin to appear on the same, by
dusting it from a suitable bag or by ejecting it by an air blast on the surfaces to be
applied to, or by sprinkling it by hand on the same when the plants are low, or by
sowing or scattering it broadcast on the same. But for convenient application to
foliage and blossoms or young fruits of vines, or trees, this article may be dissolved
in water and be sprayed on the same by means of a suitable syringe or force pump.
When it is used for destroying wire-worms, grubs or other worms, which live in the
soil and feed on young sprouts and rootloots of plants, grown from seeds, this article
will be introduced with the seed, when being planted, or sown, into the soil, and this
may be done by hand, or by means of a seed planter or by a sower arranged with
means for depositing with seed, gypsum and fertilizers, as is the practice in many
cases, so that this material will be in contact with or in close neighbourhood to the
seed in the foil.
When this article is to be used as a fertilizer it may be applied to the soil with
the seed and also on the soil at the base of the stalks or sprouts of plants, or be
sown broadcast on grasses and grains; and when applied to grasses, grain, leaves
of plants, and blossoms and fruit, it will hold strongly with the same so that winds
and dews will not readily remove the same, and while this article is destructive to
insects, worms, &c., it is harmless to animals and persons.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be produced, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:
The herein described fertilizer and insecticide consisting of the dried and
pulverized precipitate from the liquor employed in making caustic soda solutions
and known as lime mud as set forth.
Datel Al 1
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co,.
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.