272 Appendix. 



CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM THE WORK. 



That sulphur, lime, and salt solution is a practical remedy for scale insect 

 pests in the East as well as the West has been demonstrated beyond question. 

 In comparing tue cost of it with the 20 per cent kerosene and water spray, we 

 found the cost of materials for the sulphur, lime, and salt solution less than 

 for the kerosene spray. On the other hand, owing to the difference in consist- 

 ency of the two mixtures, much more material is required to cover a tree of given 

 size with the sulphur-lime solution than with kerosene and water. Kerosene 

 as a spray necessitates the use of a special pump and can be applied with safety 

 only in clear, windy, dry weather. We do not wish to discourage the use of 

 kerosene as an insecticide, but during the past season so many trees have been 

 killed or injured by it that we would recommend that it be used with great care. 



SOME HINTS ABOUT SPRAYING. 



The 2.5-20-15-50 formula used in this work gave perfect satisfaction. Cor- 

 respondence with people in different places where the sulphur, lime, and salt 

 remedy was used the past season shows that a weaker solution gave equally good 

 results. In Michigan, the formula used the past season was twenty-five pounds 

 of lime, fifteen pounds of sulphur, and eight pounds of salt to fifty gallons of 

 water. In reply to inquiries on this subject, Prof. P. J. Parrot, of the Ohio 

 Experiment Station, says : "Of the formulae used the one employing fifteen 

 pounds of sulphur, fifteen pounds of lime, fifteen pounds of salt to fifty gallons 

 of water gave the most satisfactory results." He further says : "I have used 

 the lime-sulphur-salt wash with varying proportions of ingredients, a d I can 

 not see that any advantage is gained by using the salt or large quantities of 

 lime." 



The relative quantities of lime and sulphur used must largely depend upon 

 the quality of the lime, as samples of lime from different parts of the country 

 vary greatly in their composition. The more caustic the lime, the less is needed 

 to dissolve and combine with the sulphur. Air-slaked lime should never be used 

 for this purpose. 



A considerable amount of solution has been used this season without salt. 

 The use of salt in the mixture is principally to add to the adhesive qualities 

 of the spray. Using the mixture without salt reduces the cost considerably, but 

 further investigation is needed before it can be safely recommended in all 

 places. Forty-one thousand peach trees were recently sprayed with the sulphur 

 and lime in the orchard of Mr. J. H. Hale in Georgia at the cost of one and 

 six-tenths cents per tree. The formula used in this work was twenty-five pounds 

 of lime, fifteen pounds of sulphur, to fifty gallons of water. 



In making and applying sulphur-lime solution a few precautions should be ob- 

 served. Use best caustic lime, sublimed flowers of sulphur (sulphur flower may 

 be used, but does not dissolve so readily). Add the sulphur to the lime, then 

 turn on enough hot water to thoroughly slake the lime. If possible, cover the 

 receptacle with a blanket while the lime is slaking, to retain heat. Boil by 

 steam or fire till the mixture becomes a dark amber color. If boiling is done by 

 steam, the pipes may be so arranged in the receptacle that the steam will do all 

 the necessary stirring. If not, the solution must be stirred by hand to prevent 

 the forming of lumps in the undissolved sulphur After the material is dissolved, 

 add hot water to make up the desired formula, then strain through a twenty or 

 thirty-mesh sieve into pump barrels. Any spray pump that will furnish suffi- 

 cient power for two lines of hose will answer the purpose. The solution is best 

 applied hot, as it adheres better than when cold. It should also be used the 

 same day that it is made, because insoluble crystals of sulphur form within a 

 few hours, that clog the pumps badly. No copper appliances should be used 

 for handling the solution, as copper is very quickly affected by the mixture. All 

 appliances used should be thoroughly cleaned every night before leaving them. 



