87 



were extensively tested last season in New York State with 

 most gratifying results as a whole, though a few failures 

 were noted here and there. The commercial preparations 

 cost more than the home-made product. On the other 

 hand, they save all trouble in boiling and, most important, 

 they contain a larger percentage of soluble sulfur than does 

 even the Cordley wash noted above. The relative percent- 

 age of soluble sulfur and the specific gravity of the Cordley 

 wash in comparison with three standard commercial washes 

 is given in the following table. 



Lime-Sulfur Washes 



(Analyses by N. Y. State Experiment Station) 

 Name Per cent, soluble sulfur Specific gravity 



Cordley 18.09 1.218 



Rex 26.00 1.29 



Niagara 29.94 1.278 



Grasselli 26.00 1.278 



These commercial washes give a maximum of soluble 

 sulfides which are undoubtedly the more active constit- 

 uents of the preparation. They probably contain a very 

 high percentage of what are known as the higher sulfides 

 and this presumably accounts for the sulfides not crystal- 

 lizing out, a change which has given many makers of the 

 ordinary wash more or less trouble. 



There has been in the last two years an attempt to 

 develop a lime-sulfur wash which might be applied to foliage 

 in summer. This work has been carried out largely by Prof. 

 Scott of the Department of Agriculture and has resulted 

 in a tentative formula calling for 5 lbs. of lime, 5 lbs. of 

 sulfur to 50 gallons of water, being recommended provi- 

 sionally. Slake the lime in cold water, add the sulfur and 

 then dilute with cold water as soon as boiling ceases. This 

 formula, according to Mr. Wurtz of Pennsylvania, does 

 not even harm peach foliage. It is possible that this wash 

 or some modification of it, may be extensively used as a 

 fungicide. It is still, however, in the experimental stage. 



The second spraying in the plan referred to above, 

 calls for the application of poisoned bordeaux mixture to 

 the unfolding leaves. The bordeaux mixture, as is well 

 known, is a most valuable fungicide, while the arsenical 

 poison is for checking early leaf feeders such as tent cater- 

 pillars, canker worms, bud worms, case bearers, etc. Paris 



