SPRAYING MIXTURES UNDER TEST. 



PROF. R. HARCOURT, ONT. AGRI. COIvLEGE, GUELPH. 



A TEST of the relative efficiency of 

 the lime sulphur wash and the Mc- 

 Bain mixture was jnade this spring under 

 the auspices of a special committee appoint- 

 ed by the Fruit Growers' Association to 

 ascertain which of the two above named 

 substances is the most effective in destroy- 

 ing the San Jose scale. The orchard se- 

 lected for the experiment belongs to Mr. 

 Bunting, of St. Catharines, and consists of 

 about 65 thrifty growing peach trees. 



Before the spraying was done each tree 

 was carefully examined by Messrs. Bunt- 

 ing, Robert Thompson, and Healy, the 

 members of the committee present, ind 

 Prof. Lochhead, and full notes were taken 

 regarding the condition of the scale on each 

 tree at that time. Every other row was 

 then sprayed with the lime-sulphur wash, 

 and the intervening rows with the McBain 

 mixture. Mr. Buntmg was responsible for 

 the application of the former and Mr. Mc- 

 Bain for the latter. Both men were al- 

 lowed to make the spraying as thorough as 

 they saw fit, but nothing further was to be 

 put on the trees until after they had been 

 examined by the committee at the end of 

 June or the early part of July. Every pos- 

 sible point was safe guarded, and there is 

 no reason why the tests should not be con- 



sidered thorough and fairly conclusive. 



The same day a barrel of the lime-sulphur 

 and salsoda and a barrel of the lime-sulphur 

 and caustic soda washes were prepared and 

 applied to an adjoining orchard. The for- 

 mer was made according to the following 

 formula : Lime, 25 pounds ; sulphur, 20 

 pounds ; sal soda, 12 pounds ; water, 40 gal- 

 lons. These were put together without 

 any artificial heat being used in the boiling. 

 The lime-sulphur and caustic mixture was 

 also prepared without any artificial heat, and 

 tne following amounts of the various sub- 

 stances were used : Lime, 30 pounds ; sul- 

 phur, 15 pounds; caustic soda, 5 pounds, 

 and water, 40 gallons. 



Both solutions developed the characteris- 

 tic color of the lime- sulphur wash, and those 

 present were delighted with the simplicity 

 of the method -of preparation. Since that 

 time several barrels of these mixtures have 

 been made and applied in the same neigh- 

 borhood, and it will be interesting to see 

 how effective they will prove in destroying 

 the scale. Their great advantage over the-^ 

 regular lime-sulphur wash is that they are 

 not boiled, and thus that tedious process is 

 saved. Some other substances have been 

 applied, which, if effective, will greatly re- 

 duce the cost and trouble of the spraying. 



THE OYSTER SHELL BARK LOUSE 



Iv. W. 



PERHAPS the most common insect 

 enemy of the apple in our province 

 is the oyster shell bark louse, an introduc- 

 tion from Europe nearly a century ago. It 

 gets its name from the shape of its shell, 

 which, however, is only about one-sixth of 

 an inch in length. 



During the warm weather early this 

 month, these young lice hatch out and begin 

 moving about, and in a few 'days attach 

 themselves to some portion of fresh bark by 



inserting their tiny sharp beaks to suck the 

 sap. These young lice are scarcely visible 

 to the naked eye, being only about the one- 

 thousandth part of an inch in length. It 

 is at this stage of their history that these 

 bark lice are most easily destroyed. A thor- 

 ough washing of the tree with a strong so- 

 lution of soft soap and washing soda, or a 

 spraying with a solution of washing soda 

 and water, 5^ a pound to a pailful, will 

 cleanse the bark of them. 



