Rhubarb leaves (which you know must never be eaten) are deadly poisonous to aphis and most sucking insects. Make up a batch as follows: Cut up 3 pounds of the leaves, and boil in 3 quarts of water for 30 minutes, then strain, and add 4 ounces of a soft soap (that common laundry variety is best), and dissolve it well. This spray when cool can be used to kill aphis on roses, but if you use it on herbs, remember to leave the plants for at least a fortnight before cutting them for the table.
Tobacco dust is another good organic insecticide, but can be hard to come by now. I have even offered to sweep up the floor at one of the large cigarette-packaging companies, but, as you can imagine, I was laughed off the premises. Any of you who live in a tobacco-growing district may be able to get the left-overs from the drying-shed floors. These can be prepared as follows: Boil 4 ounces of tobacco dust (cigarette ends will do if you are a smoker, but remove the filter tips), in a gallon of water for 30 minutes. Strain the clear brown liquid, and bottle it carefully labelled and away from small children, if not using it at once. It is quite poisonous, so care must be taken; but it quickly breaks down in the soil some two or three weeks after spraying, and it is safe to eat any leaves after this period.
Chemical insecticide manufacturers are beginning to recognize the increasing demand for “safe” sprays. As this book is written, two are on the market advertised as “bio-degradable”, and safe for edible crops.
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