592 



STATE BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



phur, but it did assist in attacking the wax in test tube experiments. 

 From a spray, however, it rapidly evaporated. Experiments were 

 tried out to find what effect whitewash, used to dilute concentrated 

 lime-sulphur, would have on its ability to take up oxygen. Two equal 

 samples from the same stock solution of concentrated lime-sulphur were 

 taken. One sample was diluted with water to the strength recom- 

 mended for use against San Jose scale by the Geneva, N. Y., station;* 

 the other was diluted with a volume of whitewash equal to the water 

 used with the first sample. Three separate sets of duplicate experiments 

 were run using 2 c.c, at a time, of each diluted spray solution ex- 

 posed for eighteen hours on filter paper in the gas containers. It was 

 found that after that length of time oxvgen was used verv slowlv, indeed. 

 In fact, the polysulphide color disappeared from both dilutions in the 

 first few hours of the experiments. 



One set of results is recorded in Table XIII. 



TABLE XIII. 



Oxygen used hy lime-sulphur. 



(Beaume 23.5°, diluted with 4i parts of water. 



(Same sample of lime-sulphur, diluted with 4f parts of whitewash.) 



As may be seen at a glance, the sample diluted with whitewash used 

 considerably more oxygen in eighteen hours than the water dilu- 

 tion. The comparative results of all three sets of duplicate experiments 

 showed the same thing. 



So far, no explanation of this greater absorption of oxygen by the 

 whitewash dilution has been found that seemed to admit of certain 

 proof. Mr. Winter, of the Division of Chemistry of this Station, has 

 estimated the amounts of sulphur in solution in the water dilution and 

 in the whitewash dilution and found them the same, if taken imme- 

 diately after making up the dilutions. At that time, also, calcium 

 hydroxide appeared to him to be present in the amount added in mak- 

 ing the dilution. After standing for several hours, however, the cal- 

 cium hydroxide disappeared, as such — the calcium having evidently 

 entered into some other chemical union. The new relation into which 

 this calcium entered was not determined. 



♦Bulletin 320, N. Y., State Exp. Station. 



