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Mike Lyle · 12-03-2010, 05:14 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:

i like "Insect pests of glasshouse crops" by Miles & Miles (published
privately by H.C. Long in 1935). It amuses me greatly as it
reflects an age where 'elf&safety were noticeable by their absence.
Here is a typical quote on fumigating a greenhouse with hydrocyanic
acid:

"The gas is highly poisonous to man, and the operator must leave the
greenhouse quickly once the fumigation is started, especially when
the gas is liberated rapidly as in the "pot" method."

FYI, the "pot" method involved getting a container with about 100ml
of 33% sulphuric acid in it, and dropping around 30g of sodium
cyanide into it. The amazing thing is that for large greenhouses
several of these containers would be used, so the operator would
have to get to the next one pretty sharpish after dropping the
cyanide into the previous one!

That was also used to rid ships of rats. Because hudrogen cyanide
forms an explosive mixture with air, the ships' lighting had to be
off at the time ....

Even less practical use, but I wouldn't be parted from my 1935 _Tropical
Planting and Gardening_, by H.F.Macmillan, once boss of the Royal
Botanic Gardens, Ceylon. Just a wonderful read, even if you don't have
much trouble with elephants, and have like me always resisted the
temptation to deal with thievish locals by the forthright expedient of
"a good thrashing". Macmillan is also a fan of cyanide; but he deals
with the safety issue as follows: "wrap the cyanide [of potassium] in a
thin paper bag and drop into the acid and water, by means of a string
passing through a trap-door and released from outside."

--
Mike.