A new spray mixture manufactured by the Niagara Brand Spray Company, and 

 known as Soluble Sulphur, promises to be a valuable wash for the scale. I used 

 it this year, at the strength recommended on the containers, on nine large very 

 badly infested old apple trees and one pear tree, and got good results from the one 

 application — just as good as from the regular lime-sulphur. Soluble Sulphur is 

 a yellowish-green powder, and is made by combining sulphur and certain compounds 

 of soda at a very high temperature and then apparently grinding the dry com- 

 pound into a powder after it is cold. It dissolves readily in water, and is therefore 

 very convenient to ship, store and use. Its price at present is about the same as 

 that of commercial lime-sulphur. It may be that if a rain followed soon after 

 spraying it would not give so good results as lime-sulphur. This remains to be 

 tested. The directions for use are given on the cans. The manufacturers claim 

 that their mixture can he safelv used as a subsitute for lime-sulphur in all the 



Fig. 13. The same trees photographed from a little farther to the right two 

 months later, about July 20th (original). 



regular orchard applications. Without further tests under different weather con- 

 ditions I am not prepared to recommend it for summer use. 



THiE Proper Strength of Lime-sulphur to Use. — As it is very important 

 to use sufficiently strong mixtures, and as the most common forms of lime-sulphur 

 are the commercial and the home-made concentrated, and as the different barrels 

 of these vary in strength, it is very important to test them with an hydrometer 

 before using, and then reason out by rule how much to dilute each gallon to get 

 the proper strength. Specific gravity hydrometers are the most convenient, and cost 

 about 80 cents. From my own experience and that of others I think the most 

 desirable strength is about 1.035 specific gravity. A full account of how to use 

 the hydrometer is given in the Lime-Sulphur Bulletin, No. 198, pages 10 to 13, 

 and also a less full one in the Spray Calendar. Briefly stated, the rule is: — Gently 

 drop the hydrometer into the clear concentrated liquid of the barrel after all sedi- 

 ment has settled and the temperature is that of the surrounding air. Note the 

 figure to which it sinks. Suppose this is 1.300 in one barrel and 1.280 in 



