lU(i STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



CO-OPERATIVE EXPERIMENTS. 



Tliiw (lass ()(■ work lias been found desirable for two reasons; first, 

 the conditions both at the college and at South Haven make it impossi- 

 ble to carry on experiments in spraying, orchard tillage, fertilizing, etc.. 

 for which considerable areas are necessary, and second, it has been 

 found that if the work is carried on in a section where the results can 

 be noted by commercial growers, they are far more likely to be ac- 

 cepted as conclusive tlian when they are given out in bulletins. 



SiiKii/iii;/ far Han Jose Scale. 



A'arions ]»has('S liave recci\('(! alfention. The mosi attention has 

 been given to the testing of remedii'S for the contixd of the San Jose 

 scale, including the various projirietary com])ounds on the market. Aftei* 

 using it for four years Ave are more than ever convinced that fruit 

 growers will find in the sulphur-lime mixture a remedy wliich, although- 

 it has its obiectioiial)le features, is reasonably satisfactory so far as 

 etificiency. safety, cheapness and ease of preparation and application are 

 concerned. 



The use of twelve to fifteen ]>ounds of either flour or flowers of sulphur 

 and t\\'eijty or twenty-five ]K)unds of lime is recommended for iifty gal- 

 lons. The lime and sul])liur should be boiled for one hour in fifteen or 

 twenty gallons of water in order to i>roduce a chemical union of the 

 two materials which will enter into solution. It can then be dihit<Ml. 

 either with hot or cold water, but it should be at least warm when ap- 

 ])lied. While equal weights of lime and sulphui- are recommended by 

 many jiersons. we do not think it advisable to make any change in our 

 original formula as given above, as the excess of lime gives the trees 

 a white appearance, ^\hich is very helpful in determining the thorough- 

 ness of the api^lication. Avithout which good results cannot be exi)ected. 



When ])roperly jtrepared the lime-sulj)hur mixture can be used with 

 safety upon all dccide.ous trees and shrubs, while in a dormant condi- 

 tion, but it will injure the foliage and should not be used after the 

 leaves have ojjened, excei)t in cases where the trees are found to be 

 badly infested during the summer. As they may be ruined before au- 

 tumn, it may then be well to spi-ay the trees, endeavoring to cover the 

 tiMUiks and lai-ger branches without allowing very much to reach tlu' 

 lea\es. In this Avay any serious results to the trees can be prevented as, 

 although the ends of the branches may be killed, they can be headed back 

 and a new toj* grown. 



The best tim(> for spraying to c(nitrol this insect is as late as jiossi 

 ble in the spring, and the work can be continued up to the day the blos- 

 soms burst o])vu. Spraying during the Avinter months is not advisable 

 in the northern slates, but fairly gctod results can be obtained Aviien the 

 trees are sjU'ayed as soon as the lea\('s <lrop in the avilumn. 



While an ordinary jacketed kettle holding forty or fifty gallons can 

 be used for cooking the mixture, a steam boiler mill be found more 

 satisfact<u'y foi- huge orchards. es]»ecially as ii ixM-mits of elevating the 

 tank or barrels in which the cooking is done to such a height as Avill 

 alloAv the mixture to be drawn off into the spraying tank. IMpping, 



