284 STATE BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



Several mixtures in which the active agent is a mineral oil, treated 

 in such a way as to readily form an emulsion when water is added, 

 have recently l3een placed upon the market. These have been thoroughly 

 tested for one to three years upon all kinds of trees and the results 

 which have been reported each year have been far from satisfactory. 



TESTS OF REMEDIES IN 1906. 



During the past year all of the soluble oils that Avere then upon the 

 market were tested in a peach orchard in comparison with sulphur and 

 lime of the standard strength. The so-called K-L (kerosene and lime) 

 mixture was also used both with hydrated and with air-slaked lime. 

 ^ All of the soluble oil mixtures were used at the strength recommended 

 by the manufacturers (one part of the soluble oil to twenty parts of 

 water), and also at twice that strength. 



Among the remedies tested were the following : 



The Target Brand Scale Destroyer, which is white and of a thick, 

 cream-like consistency. The form sent out last spring would only work 

 well when diluted with soft water, and gave considerable trouble to 

 many persons who had only hard water at hand. The manufacturers 

 claim to have overcome the difficulty. This like all of the other soluble 

 oils gave no trouble when used with soft water, and except to the hose 

 was not especially destructive to the spraying apparatus. It is said to 

 contain about twenty per cent of mineral oil, from which the lighter 

 portions have been distilled, so that when used at the rate of one to 

 twenty parts of water, the emulsion would contain about four per cent 

 of oil ; 



Scalecide, which is claimed to be an emulsion of crude petroleum, and 

 its appearance bears out the claim, was in every way satisfactory so 

 far as its preparation and application were concerned; 



Kilo-scale, another soluble oil, which greatly resembles Scalecide, al- 

 though it appears to be somewhat thicker; and 



Scalespray, which has a milk-like appearance and the odor of turpen- 

 tine, and was manufactured and sold by a Michigan firm, gave if any- 

 thing, less trouble than the other mixtures to prepare and apply. 



Two K-L mixtures were also used. One was prepared with air-slaked 

 lime and the other with dry-slaked lime, although ordinary hydrated 

 lime as sold could have been used. The dry-slaked lime was prepared 

 by taking stone lime and slaking it, using only as much water as would 

 be taken up and leave at the close a dry powder. The preparation of the 

 two forms was identical. After sifting, forty pounds of the lime was 

 placed in a barrel and ten gallons of kerosene was added. It was then 

 stirred to form a homogeneous mass. Forty gallons of water was then 

 added and it was ready for use. The stirring should be continued all 

 the time the oil is being added, and also while the water is being turned 

 in to dilute it. 



COMPARATIVE COST OF SPRAYING MIXTURES. 



The following tables show the cost of the various mixtures as com- 

 pared with sulphur and lime, considering not only the original cost of 

 the materials, but Ihe labor of preparing the K-L and the sulphur and 

 lime mixtures. It should be said that the cost of sulphur varies in 



