SPRAYING APPLES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 73, 27 March 1914, Page 3

SPRAYING APPLES

IS THE SPRAY-MIXTURE DANGEROUS? AN UNFOUNDED REPORT. In Wednesday's Post there appeared the following cable message : — "London, 24th March. — An analyst reports that blue vitriol has been found on imported applee, the result of spraying. This is dangerous to the health of the eaters of fruit unless it is peeled." "This evidently refers," explained Mr. T. W. Kirk, Director of Orchards, Gardens, and Apiaries, "to the custom of spraying friut with Bordeaux mixture — that is. a mixture of bluestone and lime. The absurdity of suggesting that the quantities existing on apples when they reach the market is in the slightest degree dangerous, is shown by the fact that a few years ago a similar story arose about arsenate of lead, a far more dangerous spray, yet the result of the Go. vernment Analyst's examination of fruit gathered by two medical officers attached to the Health Department showed that there is no danger to health. The medical men (1) gathered some fruit from trees regularly sprayed during the season, and (2) saw a tree sprayed, and themselves gathered the fruit directly the spray was dry. The following is the report on these specimens furnished by the Dominion Analyst, Dr. Maclaurin :—: — DR. MACLAURIN'S REPORT. Sender of specimen — District Health Officer. Specimen — Apples from Weraroa State Farm, picked in the presence of Drs. Frengley and Makgill, and Messrs Kirk and Boucher. Particulars — A : Apples sprayed, allowed to dry, and immediately picked. B : Some of A apples wiped with a duster. C : Apples which had been sprayed in usual manner during the season. In order to estimate the quantity of arsenic, etc., on the apples, they were treated with appropriate solvents, and the solution so obtained analysed. A apples gave :— Grains per Grains per lb of apples, bushel (401b). Copper ... 0.105 4.20 Lead ... 0.040 1.60 Arsenic ... 0.011 0.44 B. Wiped apples : These gave about one-third of the arsenic found- on" A apples. C. Apples sprayed in the usual manner during season : These particular apples were sprayed in October with arsenate of lead and Bordeaux mixture, and on five subsequent occasions with arsenate of lead alone. When treated in the same way as A apples, the following results were obtained :—: — Grains per Grains per lb of apples, bushel (401b). Copper ... 1-90 4-9 Lead ... 1-250 4-25 Arsenic ... 1-900 4-90 When these apples were peeled no trace of arsenic or lead could be detected, and only the merest trace of copper (about 1-600 grain per pound of apples). These results show that the apples sprayed with arsenate of lead and bluestone in the usual manner during the season contain such minute traces of copper, lead, and arsenic that they may be eaten with perfect safety. In fact, the amount of arsenic is so small that one would require to consume two bushels of apples (skins and all) to get a full medical dose of arsenic. Even in. the case of apples sprayed immediately before picking, two or three pounds catald be eaten without producing serious results, and such apples would be completely freed from arsenic and lead by peeling.— (Signed) J. S. Maclaurin, D.Sc, F.C.S., Analyst.