"
"What's Paris Green?" asked Mab.
"It is a deadly poison, for grown folks or children as well as bugs, and
you must never touch it, or handle it, unless I am with you, or your
father is near," said Uncle Pennywait. "Here is some of it."
He showed the children a bright, green powder, some of which he stirred
into a sprinkling pot full of water. This water he sprayed over the potato
vines.
"The poison in the water goes on the potato leaves," explained Uncle
Pennywait, "and when the bugs eat the leaves they also eat the poison, and
die. We have to kill them or they would eat away the leaves of the vines
until they all died, and we would have no potatoes. The potato bugs are
very harmful, and we must get rid of them."
Then he let Hal and Mab sprinkle the potato vines with the Paris Green,
afterward making the children carefully wash their hands so there would be
no danger.
"Is that the only way to drive away the potato bugs?" asked Hal.
"Sometimes farmers go through their potato field and knock the bugs from
the vines into a can full of kerosene oil," said Uncle Pennywait, "or they
may use another poison instead of Paris Green.
Pages:
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74