554 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Dod. 



prised to find out how little we know about thorough spraying, not 

 only in the application of lime-sulphur and salt, but in any of the 

 soluble oils. That has been brought up by Prof. Maynard; he made 

 this remark, that a general application will not do. I have had 

 sprayers come to our office and argue that it would not do. Did you 

 ever see that window pane and the rain spots drip on the panes of 

 glass and how it spread about there? The oil has the same effect 

 when it drops on any surface because it spreads after it drops at 

 any particular point. In all meetings I have attended I find that the 

 question most discussed is the thoroughness of spraying rather than 

 the material you are using. I believe before another year is out 

 we will convince Brother Hale that the soluble oils are cheaper, 

 lower in price today and easier in application, than any other pre- 

 paration on the market that we can use as effectively against the 

 San Jos6 Scale. 



It would not have been any inducement for me to go into the 

 manufacturing of soluble oils if we could not control the scale in 

 commercial orchards. Our ambition is far beyond the cleaning up 

 of the back yard orchard. If we cannot do the work for Mr. Hale, 

 and other commercial fruit growers, better than in the use of any- 

 thing else it would be of no value as a manufactured product. 



One other thought I desire to express is this, we do not yet know 

 what the fungicidal qualities of oils are. You remember that this 

 lime-sulphur and salt Avash was used for a good many years before 

 its properties were appreciated. The oils have only been out for two 

 years, and as a manufacturer I want to say this, that I have spent 

 night after night in the laboratory working over this matter and we 

 are ready to take up this work. We believe we are doing a good 

 work for the fruit grower. 



The question as to the price was brought up and I want to say 

 this, that we have not an agent who does not make more money out 

 of it than we do as the manufacturer. We have 70 per cent, of 

 petroleum oil and 9 per cent, of vegetable, and 8 to 10 per cent, of 

 chemicals, and that 10 per cent, of chemicals cost many times more 

 than the 70 per cent, of petroleum. Prof. Surface spoke of one 

 globule of lime holding a number of globules of oil around it. You' 

 remember the petroleum is not acted on as an alkali or an acid, but 

 it will separate from the little globules in the oil and it is in the 

 breaking up of those globules that we are able to make it spread 

 out and cover a larger surface. We feel we have broken is up about 

 five times as small as it was before. 



We don't know what the fungicidal properties of oil is going to 

 be. We are working with and for the fruit grower to do all we can. 

 Say what you please about the lime-sulphur wash it is a mean thing 

 to handle and everybody is trying to get away from it. 



MR. WOLFF. — I would like to ask these commercial people how 

 they are going to show that these materials can be put on as cheap 

 as the lime-sulphur wash. You can buy sulphur at five cents a 

 pound and lime at about one-half cent a pound, and in making up 

 the different parts it will not cost more than two cents a gallon. 

 Please explain how the material of which you speak is as cheap as 

 lime-sulphur wash. 



