286 Peach-Growing 



to almost cover it. As soon as the lime begins to slake 

 the sulfur should be added, after first running it through 

 a sieve to break up the lumps, if any are present. The 

 mixture should be constantly stirred and more water (3 or 

 4 gallons) added as needed to form at first a thick paste 

 and then gradually a thin paste. The lime will supply 

 enough heat to boil the mixture several minutes. As soon 

 as it is well slaked water should be added to cool the mixture 

 and prevent further cooking. It is then ready to be strained 

 into the spray tank, diluted, and applied. 



"The stage at which cold water should be poured on to 

 stop the cooking varies with different limes. Some limes 

 are so sluggish in slaking that it is difficult to obtain enough 

 heat from them to cook the mixture at all, while other limes 

 become intensely hot on slaking, and care must be taken not 

 to allow the boiling to proceed too far. If the mixture is 

 allowed to remain hot for 15 or 20 minutes after the slaking 

 is completed, the sulfur gradually goes into solution, com- 

 bining with the lime to form sulfids, which are injurious to 

 peach foliage. It is therefore very important, especially 

 with hot lime, to cool the mixture quickly by adding a few 

 buckets of water as soon as the lumps of lime have slaked 

 down. The intense heat, violent boiling, and constant 

 stirring result in a uniform mixture of finely divided sulfur 

 and lime, with only a very small percentage of the sulfur 

 in solution. It should be strained to take out the coarse 

 particles of lime, but the sulfur should be carefully worked 

 through the strainer." 



The caution that these directions be followed with ex- 

 treme fidelity and care cannot be made too emphatic. This 

 applies in all particulars, but especially in the matter of over- 

 cooking the mixture by allowing it to stand too long before 



