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1957 The Lepidopterists' News 225
ESPECIALLY FOR FIELD COLLECTORS
(Under the supervision of Fred T. Thorne, 1360 Merritt Dr., El Cajon, Calif., U.S.A.)
SIMPLE DEVICES FOR KEEPING FOODPLANTS FRESH
by Roy O. Kendall
You too can have a turgorator, and if you rear Lepidoptera you should have. After reading of George F. Pronin's device (Lepid. News 8: pp. 121-123), it set me to thinking about ways and means of improvising one for home use. Applying the same principle of 'air-pressure and water' it wasn't long before the idea was conceived, checked out, and put into operation. It exceeded my fondest expectations.
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-VzX/^ Re-cucE-Hs
2 GARl>£fi/ HOSE C0UPL//V6
Garden llose. —I ^-li'V IS"Nipple PresSUHeRele/Ise Valve Rubbe* Stopper, a/o. 9 i------Metal WasHe-r.
Here is how I made my first and second models. With a little ingenuity you can build a better one, and at very little cost. For my first model which is illustrated below, I used a IV2 X 18 inch nipple which John Paul Warnken, a fellow enthusiast, gave me. On one end of this nipple the threads were run down about 21/? inches to receive a \x/2 X % inch reducer. On the opposite end a similar reducer was permanently affixed and a female garden hose coupling was added. A thumb operated pressure release valve was installed in the nipple near the end first described. This valve allows for releasing air when filling the chamber with water and thereby preventing an air block. Also, it releases the water pressure when removing the plants or branches from the chamber. All that remains to be added is a perforated
226
ESPECIALLY FOR COLLECTORS
Vol.11: no.6
rubber stopper size 9, and a large metal washer which rests on top of the stopper and fits inside the reducer. Now insert a plant or branch and screw down the reducer with your hand. Open the pressure release valve and turn on the water. When all of the air has been dissipated from the chamber close the valve. The pressure on your water line is sufficient for most operations. Leave the branch in the device until the water begins to ooze from the leaves; woody branches require a l.ttle longer. Remove the branch and place it into a container of water immediately. The water must not be allowed to drop below the end of the cut stem otherwise it will wither and die. With a heavy duty garden hose the plants may be left in the device indefinitely. Fairly large branches may be inserted into the device without an assortment of stoppers simply by whittling down the stem so as to fit snugly into the hole of the stopper.
AIODSL Ma 2
DEVICE. >s MADE- °* 3/4" PlPt ____________FITTlA/<rS____________
My second model was designed to accomodate a quantity of host plants at one time. It can be lengthened or shortened to meet your individual needs. The illustration, crude though it is, should provide enough details for anyone interested in duplicating the device.
135 Vaughan Place, San Antonio 1, Texas, U. S. A.