442 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



The boiled lime-sulphur solution is made by slaking good lime, and, 

 after slaking, boiling with an amount of sulphur double in weight to 

 that of the lime used. Actual boiling is continued from 30 to 60 minutes, 

 according to the recommendations of various experimenters. It is 

 known that calcium and sulphur will combine in different proportions 

 and form different compounds ; the greater the amount of sulphur pres- 

 ent, up to a certain point, and the longer the time of boiling, up to about 

 an hour, the greater the amount of sulphur in solution. 



The commercial solutions are usually clear, but have not been found 

 essentially different from the properly made home-boiled preparations. 



The results obtained by Scott and Cordley proved an incentive to 

 further work along these lines by the Federal Department of Agricul- 

 ture, and station workers in several states where the fruit growing 

 industry is of considerable importance. The results obtained by this 

 group of men were again highly encouraging. Self-boiled lime-sulphur 

 appeared to be an essentially safe and effective fungicide for the control 

 of peach brown rot and scab, two of the greatest enemies of the com- 

 mercial peach grower. It was fairly good for controlling apple scab, 

 but not to the same degree as either the home made or commercial 

 concentrated forms. In addition to their effectiveness as fungicides 

 was the additional fact that they appeared to have little or no injurious 

 effect upon the foliage when properly diluted, and no injury to fruit 

 appears to have been reported. Both Paris green and lead arsenate 

 were used, with the results in favor of arsenate of lead. 



In the summer of 1909, the Maine Experiment Station acquired by 

 state purchase a large and hitherto neglected orchard farm in the apple 

 region of that state. The orchards thereon comprised about 3,000 trees, 

 all of which were in most unthrifty condition and badly infested with 

 insect and fungous parasites. 



The first attempt at orchard renovation was a thorough spraying of 

 all the trees. Bordeaux mixture was used, and, although the pests were 

 brought under control, considerable injury, ascribed in part to the spray, 

 was noted. For a large part of such injury the weakened condition of 

 the trees, rendering them more susceptible to causes of injury of any 

 nature may be held responsible. 



In view of such injury, together with the fact that the Ben Davis is, 

 unfortunately, still one of the big commercial apples of Maine, and is 

 notably susceptible to Bordeaux injury, it was decided to test out, 

 through a series of years, some of the forms of lime-sulphur solutions 

 which had been so favorably reported in other places. 



The questions to be asked by this experiment might be stated as 

 follows : 



1. Are self -boiled, home-boiled or commercial lime-sulphur prepara- 

 tions now on the market equal in efficiency to Bordeaux mixture for the 

 control of apple scab? 



2. May the damage from spray injury on susceptible trees, like the 

 Ben Davis, be eliminated by such sprays? 



