il 
materials are dissolved the boiling should be continued for about an 
hour, and a considerable degree of heat should be employed so as to 
keep the preparation in a brisk state of ebullition, cold water being 
added in small quantities whenever there are indications of the prepa- 
ration boiling over; too much cold water, however, should not be added 
at one time, or the boiling process will be arrested and thereby delayed, 
but by a little practice the operator will learn how much water to add 
so as to keep the preparation boiling actively. Stirring the preparation 
is quite unnecessary during this stage of the work. When boiled suffi- 
ciently it will assimilate perfectly with water and should then be di- 
luted with the proper quantity of cold water, adding it slowly at first 
and stirring occasionally during the process. The undiluted prepara- 
tion is pale yellowish in color, but by the addition of water it becomes 
a very dark brown. Before being sprayed on the trees it should be 
strained through a fine wire sieve, or through a piece of swiss muslin, 
and this is usually accomplished when pouring the liquid into the spray- 
ing tank, by means of a strainer placed over the opening through which 
the preparation is introduced into the tank. 
The preparing of this compound would be greatly accelerated if the 
resin and caustic soda were first pulverized before being placed in the 
boiler, but this is quite a difficult task to perform. Both of these sub- 
stances are put up in large cakes for the wholesale trade, the resin be- 
ing in wooden barrels, each barrel containing a single cake weighing 
about 375 pounds, while the caustic soda is put up in iron drums con- 
taining a single cake each, weighing about 800 pounds. The soda is 
the most difficult to dissolve, but this could doubtless be obviated by 
first dissolving it in cold water and then using the solution as required. 
It has been very generally supposed that the finer the spray could be 
thrown upon the tree the better would be the results obtained, but 
after conversing with several persons who make the spraying of trees 
their special work I was somewhat surprised to learn that each of them 
were in favor of a rather coarse spray. In nearly every instance they 
had started out with the impression that a fine spray was the best, but 
had gradually adopted one somewhat coarser, finally adopting one that 
threw a moderately coarse spray with considerable torce. After care- 
fully investigating the subject I found that their reasons for preferring 
a rather coarse spray to a fine one were well founded. 
The object sought for is not so much to simply sprinkle and wet the 
tree as it is to paint or varnish it over with the compound used, and 
this can best be accomplished by the use of a rather coarse spray, which 
enables them to throw the liquid upon the tree with considerable force, 
so that when it strikes any portion of the tree it spreads out and covers 
the adjoining parts with a thin film, as if put on with a brush. It also 
strikes many of the leaves with such force as to cause them to expose 
tc the spray portions of their surfaces that would otherwise escape. 
‘Besides this, by the use of a moderately coarse spray the tree can be 
