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Green to contain not less than 50 per cent,
of pure arsenic in combination and not more
than four per cent, of free arsenic. The
very best Paris Green does not contain more
than oS per cent, of arsenic in combination,
the other ingredients being acetic acid and
copper. What 1 would recommend all to do
is to buy your Paris Green early in the sea
son and then send samples to Pullman and
hive it tested. If it does not come up to the
required test, don't use it all. One advantage
of buying it of some one in this state is that
if it does not come up to the legal standard
of purity, you can recover from the seller.
1 would not in any case use untested Paris
Green, hence the name of the maker is im
material. * # #
The following inquiry comes to hand from
Phil. Rose, of Wenatchee: "Please publish in
The Ranch a good recipe for making white
wash for fruit trees —one that will be effec
tive and adhere to the tree.'' In answering
Mr. Rose it is possible to miss the point as to
being effective, as we may not know in what
sense he wishes it to be effective. In making
whitewash that will adhere to the trees, we
would recommend the use of salt—about
one half as much salt as lime. Some rec
ommend glue for the purpose and some the
Hour of rice. But it is doubtful if, in making
whitewash for trees, it will pay to go to so
much expense. We do not know what ob
ject is in view in whitewashing trees. There
is an erroneous idea prevalent about the use
of whitewash as an insecticide and a fungi
cide.
• # #
Lime alone does not kill either insects or
fungi to any great extent. This will no
doubt be disputed by many. Very well.
Ask our chemists and entomologists and they
will undo this misconception. Lime plays
an important part in the preparation of both
insecticides and fungicides but lime does not
do the killing in these compounds. Then
why not leave it out 1 For the simple reason
that lime either puts the compound into
effective form for use or what is far more
common, neutralizes certain acids which
would not only kill the insects and fungi but
kill the plants also. Take for illustration
the Bordeaux mixture, which is the best of
all fungicides. When properly made it con
sists of six pounds of sulphate of copper
(blue stone), four pounds of lime and 50 gal
lons of water. Now, it is wellknown that the
blue stone, or, more correctly speaking, the
copper in the blue stone, is what kills the
fungi. Then why the use of lime? Blue
stone is made from copper and sulphuric
acid, but the sulphuric acid will kill the
plants but the lime neutralizes that. Other
wise it might be left out. I would not rec
ommend whitewashing trees for the purpose
of killing either insects or fungi. So if that
is what friend Rose means by "effective."
my nnswer would he: It can't he done.
# ♦ •
The writer of these notes predicted that
the new horticultural law would involve the
state horticultural commissioner in more
or less trouble. Judging from what appears
in the papers this prediction is being real
ized. I wish now to go a little further and
predict that some of the provisions of this
law will be found to be invalid whenever
the matter is carried into the courts. The
supreme court of the United States has de
<'i<lod that a state law requiring an agent
soliciting for a firm or company in another
state to take out a license is invalid as it
is in restriction of commerce between states.
THE RANCH.
If the selling is done in this state then the
license can be required but to require it of
ji solicitor or "drummer" for a house or
linn in another state is an entirely different
thing and such a law is unconstitutional.
This question has been submitted to an
eminent lawyer and the following are the
question and the answer:
Has a state or a city a right to exact a license
fee from a "drummer" who sells the goods of a
concern in another state?
In Robbins v. Shelby County Taxing Dist., 120
U. S. 489, the supreme court of the United States
held that a statute of Tennessee, requiring drum
mers offering for sale or selling goods, wares, or
merchandise therein by sample to take out a li
cense, was, as applied to persons soliciting orders
for goods on behalf of houses doing business in
other states, unconstitutional as inconsistent with
the power of congress to regulate commerce among
the several states. That court, however, has dis
tinguished the case of a drummer selling, or solic
iting orders, for goods which were at the time in
another state from the case of a peddler, carrying
with him for sale, goods already in the state,
though manufactured in another state. In the late
case of Ernest v. State of Missouri, 156 U. S. 296,
decided in 1895, the supreme court held that a
statute of a state requiring every peddler to pro
cure a license and pay a tax therefor is not repug
nant to the power given to congress to regulate
PUSSY WAXTS THE HKST.
commerce, as applied to a peddler, within the state,
of sewing machines made in another state by a
corporation of that state, and sent by it to him to
sell, on its account, and as its agent. The same
doctrine has been laid down in Pennsylvania in
Com. v. Gardner, 133 Pa. 284, where it was held
that a state statute prohibiting the sale of goods
by hawkers of peddlers is not void as a regulation
of commerce, where there is no discrimination
against non-residents, or goods from out of the
state. The test, therefore, of the validity of a
statute or ordinance imposing a license fee upon
commercial agents is whether such persons aro
merely selling, or taking orders, for goods which
are at the time out of the state or whether they
are offering for sale the goods themselves which
have been brought into the state. In the former
case, the license tax is invalid; in the latter, it is
valid.
# # #
If the above view of the law is correct
and there seems to be no possible chance to
view it otherwise, then what becomes of
that ruling of the state horticultural com
missioner that nurseries located in other
states can not send their catalogues into
this state and in that way sell their stock
unless they give bonds in the sum of $2,000?
Even if they send agents into this state
to solicit, they cannot be required to give
bonds and pay a license fee. If infected or
diseased stock is sent into this state then it
can be condemned and, if necessary, be des
troyed. This whole business of requiring
men to give bonds that they will keep the
law is vicious in principle and ought not to
be encouraged. If a man violates the law
punish him. But don't treat a man with sus
picion before he has done anything. How
would it do to require a merchant to
give bonds that he would in all cases tell
the truth about his goods and give good
measure?
Against Acme Plaster.
A. A. Wright, a subscriber at Mission,
wants to know if Acme plaster would make
a good stable floor. It is cheap, in compar
ison with Portland cement. The query was
submitted to 11. L. Blanchard, who replies
as follows: "Acme plaster would not make
a good stable tioor —would crack and wear
out in a short time. Portland cement makes
a good floor but is rather expensive and
should be put in with care especially in
preparing the materials. When the mater
ials are at hand a desirable and inexpensive
floor can be made by imbedding in clay
round cobble stones three to six inches in
diameter. When such a floor is laid in stalls
considerable bedding would be necessary for
a time —there should be a gutter three or
four inches deep and twenty inches wide,
and it would be well, in place of the cobble
stones along the edge of gutter where the
animals' hind feet stand, to place and fit
In some large flat stones. This would make
it easier to clean."
Why Don't They Advertise?
A valued subscriber at Mission, Wash.,
Mrs. M. 0. Tibbits, writes that she is unable
to find any poultryman who has Rose Comb
Brown Leghorns cockerels to sell. She is
anxious to purchase two of them, and is
at a loss to acount for none of them being
advertised in the columns of The Ranch.
This is one out of numerous complaints of
a similar nature that reach the office of this
paper. Poultrymen and stockmen can make
no better investment than to put a few lines
in The Ranch and keep them there —six lines
or even less will do the business of putting
them in communication with many people
who will become good customers.
Readers of The Ranch should take it upon
themselves to help make the paper an inter
esting one. The management wants arti
cles on live topics from all sources. By
sending in brief articles for the new depart
ment. School of Experience, you can get
r six months' subscription without sending
cash.
The Idaho state horticultural society will
hold its annual meeting at Payette on Jan
uary 20 to 22, and it promises to be a good
one.
A Valuable Seed Book.
The Maule Seed Book for 1904 is a prophecy of the
fruits and flowers' of the coming season. It conies like a
scent of new mown hay, fresh and beautiful when mother
earth has shut up shop for the winter. Its 144 page*
tell of grains and vegetables and flowers without number.
From the front colored cover, with its delicate picture
of lovely sweet peas, clear through to the back colored
cover, showing eight beautiful roses, there is a profusion
of illustration and description that will keep the whole
family busy for many winter evenings. We notice there
are thirty pages devoted to novelties ; and these novelties
cover many different members of the vegetable kingdom.
New cabbage, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, peppers,
cauliflower, etc., command the attention of the reader.
Mr. Maule has the distinction of having introduced more
novelties in the past than any other seedsman, and
many of them are the standard grains and vegetables of
today. So that when a novelty is placed in the Maule
Rook It deserves consideration and trial. We note by the
book that Mr. Maule has distributed more than $36,000 in
rash as prizes among his customers in the past years, in
Mm last five years has paid Uncle Pnm $175,255 for pos
tage in his seed business, and has given away to his
customers 5,000,000 packets of seed. This year he will
give $1,000 in cash prizes for club seed orders. These
prizes tell of the broad spirit which characterizes his busi
ness affairs, and are evidence of the liberal manner in
which he treats his customers.
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