532 STATE BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



HOME MADE LIME-SULPHUR. 



'I'licic are two ways of inakiiii; liino-snli)lmr a1 lioiiic. 



For dormant spraying to destroy scale-insects tlie old I'orniuia may be 

 followed. It is not much used now, but has given excellent results. The 

 formula is : 



Lump Lime — 20 pounds. 

 Sulphur (flour) — 15 pounds. 

 Water (hot) io make 50 gallons. 



The lime is slaked witli a small amount of water (hot if lime is slug- 

 gish, and the suljihnr is added, 15 or 20 gallons of water are then added, 

 and the mixture boiled: (It sh(mld take three-qvmrters of an hour, or 

 an hour of good boiling with frequent stirring). When done the licjuid 

 should be amber colored and fairly clear. Strain, dilute with water iliol 

 is preferable) to make (up to) 50 gallons, and apply warm, through a 

 coarse nozzle. 



If small quantities are required, use an iron kettle to boil it in. IT 

 larger quantities are to be used, live steam is preferable for boiling pur- 

 poses, eitlier in a tank or in barrels. 



Applied just before the buds swell, it coats tlie brandies in sucli a way 

 as partially to hinder from settling down, such pests as the San Jose, 

 oyster-shell, scurfy scale, some aphids and other insects. 



Lime-sulphur may be made at home in the concentrated form and used 

 immediately after diluting with water to the strength desired for dor- 

 mant or summer sprajang or stored until wanted and then diluted. 



There are several ways of combining the lime and sulphur but always 

 there are two parts, bj' weight, of sulphur to one of lime. These three 

 formulas are used: 



Stone Lime 75 lbs. or 00 lbs. or 40 lbs. 

 Sulphur 150 lbs. or 120 lbs. or 80 lbs. 

 AVater 50 gal. or 50 gal. or 50 gal. 



The lime is slaked Io a (hin paste and th(> snl])]iur is added. IJoil foi- 

 an hour and stir frequently. Water should be added so that tliere will 

 be 50 gallons at the end of the boiling. Where live steam is used I his 

 prol)ab]y will not be necessary. 



Special ''spraying lime'' should be secured if possibh'. It may be found 

 on many markets. Lime that contains more than 5 per cent of magne 

 slum oxide does not make a satisfactory^ wash. 



After cooking it may be stored in barrels or tanks which should be air- 

 tiglit, as exposure to the air causes the sulphur compounds to lose their 

 value for spraying purposes. If tanks are used cover the lime-sulphur 

 with a film of oil. 



TESTING AND DILUTING CONCENTRATED LIME-SULPHUR. 



Every "batch" of the home made concentrated lime-sulphur wash Mi II 

 have to be tested when cooled and settled to determine its strength and 

 it will be well to test the "commercial" brands. This testing is done with 

 A Baume hydrometer. It is a simple instrument used to determine the 



