15 



of the infested trees, and, on account of the presence of the k-aves, 

 careful work will be necessary to accomplish this. Tliis wash is 

 made as follows : 



Stone lime pounds. . 8 



Sulphur (flour or llowers) do. ... 8 



Water to make gallons . . 50 



The lime should be placed in a barrel and enough water poured on 

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

 should be added, after first running it through a sieve to break up 

 the lumps. The mixture should be constantly stirred and more 

 water added as needed to form a thick paste at first and then grad- 

 ually a tliin 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 grades of lime. Some limes are so slug- 

 gish in slaking that it is diilicult 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 fifteen or twenty 

 minutes after the slaking is completed the sulphur gradually goes 

 into solution, combining with the lime to form sulphids, 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 mix- 

 ture of finely-divided sulphur and lime, with only a very small ])er- 

 centage of the sulphur in solution. It should be strained to take out 

 the coarse particles of lime, but the sulphur should be carefully 

 worked through a strainer. The mixture can be prepared in larger 

 quantities if desirable, say enough for 200 gallons at a time, making 

 the formula 32 pounds of lime and 32 pounds of sulphur to be cooked 

 with a small quantity of water (8 or 10 gallons), and then diluted to 

 200 gallons. 



The first application should be given when the young scale insects 

 are ])eginning to crawl, which time will vary according to locality. 

 In the neighborhood of Washington this will be about the middle of 

 May, earlier in the South, and later in the North. This one treat- 

 ment, if thoroughly applied, will do much to check the increase of 

 the insect and to protect the trees frcMii serious damage until the 

 more thorough winter a])i)li<':iti()n can be made. A subseciuent appli- 

 cation should be given, if practicable, in the course of five or six weeks 

 in order to destroy the young scales of the second generation. 



[Cir. 124] 



