POISON CAN

This poison can is of great significance as it was used by Mr G. Eades a Noongar who would have been working for a land settler poisoning trees as part of land clearing practices. The can is made from a Kerosene tin and a hand made handle and spout have been welded onto the can. Ordinary lead based solders would erode with the poison so the weld needed to be copper or brass. A poison was placed in the can and a deep slit or scarf wound was cut into the tree bark, and poison was poured into this slit. This was done during the winter months when the sap was flowing. Eventually the tree would die and would have been easier to push down or burn in a standing position. The poison used was arsenic pentoxide. Jack Cox spent some time working on farms including the job of poisoning trees. He says that if precautions where not followed, the poison would cause fingernails to drop out - a sign of its danger to humans.

'Frills were cut around the tree trunk, then arsenic pentoxide was poured into the frill to kill the tree, which was later burned down. This improvised poison can was made by Charlie eades when tree poisonint for Mr Geo Pearson who lived in the Muradup area.' Historical Society

'We'd be the poisoning in the early winter, when the sap was tunning down, not up. This was the theory we worked on anyway.' Oral interview: Gres Robinson