Important: Safety Warning
This page recommends pest-control substances such as arsenic compounds, strychnine, or cyanide — in some cases applied to food crops. These substances are lethal to humans and animals, and their use is now banned or strictly controlled.
In addition, this page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
The Flower And Kitchen Garden
Artificial Manure for Clover
and fresh bones, slightly wetting from time to time with hot water. This is a more econom- Mix together 10 parts each sulphate of ama more…
Artificial Guano
Mix 11 pounds clays, etc., from ponds and ditches , cleanings of sewers, etc. On the other hand, heavy dry sulphate of soda (Glauber salts)…
Fertilizing Powder
To 18 the cleansing of streets, all kinds of ashes, rotten tanners' bark, rotten wood, sawdust, parts very fine bone dust add 1 part each…
To Prepare Composts
The the drainings from a dunghill; and after bepreparation necessary for heavy and light ing drained, but while still wet, should be heavy…
Universal Composts
The pre-cut across, just below an eye or joint, with as paration of many separate kinds of composts smooth a section as possible, observing…
Liquid Manure
The principal materials now used for liquid manures are to be used in the following proportions for all orfor all orinjure…
To Insert Cuttings
Cuttings, tion of a small quantity of stearine, carefully if inserted in a mere mass of earth, will hard- stirred, so as to thoroughly mix…
To Turn White Flowers Red
The juice of the Virginian pokeweed sprinkled on the white hyacinth will turn it red. The same effect is produced on many other white…
To Raise Hyacinths in Winter
Put the bulbs in glasses or earth, and set them in a dark closet to sprout. If in glasses, the water should not be higher than 1 inch below…
To Preserve Cut Flowers
Place a vase containing the cut flowers in the centre of a flat dish, into which a little water has been poured; invert a bell glass over…
Soot Water for Roses
Put the soot obtained from the pipe or chimney of a wood fire, into a pitcher, and pour hot water upon it. When cool, use the liquid…
To Preserve Flowers
Flowers may be preserved for many months by dipping them carefully, as soon as gathered, in perfectly limpid gum water; after allowing pot…
To Remedy American Blight
Take 1/2 peck quicklime, 1/2 pound flowers of sulphur, and 1/4 pound lampblack. Mix with boiling water, enough to form a thick paint. With…
To Remove Green Fly
Choose a still evening, and let the plants be quite dry. Arrange them together in a close place; put into an iron pan, or a flower-pot, a…
To Drive Worms out of Pots
Securely cork up all the drainage holes in the pot, and then flood it for several hours with clear lime-water.
To Destroy Green Fly
Syringe the plants with tobacco water. One part ammoniacal liquor from the gas-works, mixed with 5 or more parts of water, according to its…
To Destroy Maggot in Roses
The mossy parts of the meadow should be well manured with good well-rotted stable dung in the autumn; and, if practicable, the A bushel of…
To Kill Docks, Dandelions, etc
Cut the tops off in the spring or summer 1860. To Destroy Moss on Fruit time, and pour some gas-tar, or sprinkle Trees. Every second year…
Cleanliness for Plants
Fre- liquor will answer the same purpose, but it quently the cause of the languidness of plants will make the grass look brown for some…
Bleeding in Vines
Work tegether 1 part calcined oyster-shells beaten to fine powder in a mortar, and 3 parts cheese, until they form a sort of paste. This…
To Keep Cucumbers Fresh
When the cucumbers are at their best they 1879. Composition for Healing should be cut, and laid in a box made just to Wounds in Trees. Take…
Grafting Clay
Take strong adhesive loam or clay, and knead it till of the consistency of soft soap. Take also some horse droppings, and rub through a…
To Propagate Marsh Plants
The best plan is by means of a stone trough 6 inches to a foot deep, and of any convenient length and breadth, with a hole for a tap at one…
To Dry Roots
They should be rubbed in water to get rid of the dirt and also some of the mucous substance that would otherwise render them mouldy; the…
To Catch Rats
Cover a common 1888. To Preserve Potatoes and Other barrel with stiff, stout paper, tying the edge Roots. These are preserved in different…
Rat Trap
Fill a barrel about half full of water. Make the cover 1/2 inch smaller all around than the inside of the top of the barrel. Drive a nail…
Bait to Catch Rats and Mice
If a drop of oil of rhodium be poured upon some bait in a common or wire spring trap, and the trap be set in an infested locality, in a…
To Catch Muskrats
Take a steel trap with a single spring, set it 1½ inches under water, hang part of a sweet apple over the foot plate, and chain the trap to…
Rat Poison
Recent experiments have shown that squills is an excellent poison for rats. The powder should be mixed with some fatty substance, and…
To Destroy Bed-bugs
Rub the bedsteads in the joints with equal parts of spirits of turpentine and kerosene oil, and the cracks of the surbase in rooms where…
To Drive Rats from a Building
Dissolve 2 ounces glue, 2 ounces tincture of assafœtida, and 2 ounces potash in water, and add 1/2 ounce phosphorus to the mixture. Then…
Bed-bug Poison
Mix together come. This mixture will last 2 years. Or: 2 ounces camphor, 4 ounces spirits of turpen- Take chloride of lime, and scatter it…
To Kill Bed-bugs
Benzine or 1899. Phosphorus Paste for Ver- gasoline will kill these pests as fast as they min. Introduce 1 drachm phosphorus into can be…
To Exterminate Bed-bugs
Wash the article infested with a weak solution of chloride of zinc. This is an effectual banisher of these pests.
Benzine as an Insect Destroyer
A mixture of 10 parts benzine, 5 parts soap, and 85 parts water, has been very successfully used to destroy the parasites which infest…