154 THE AMERICAN PEACH ORCHARD 



by using hot water. The usual method, however, is 

 to put the copper sulphate into a gunny sack and 

 hang it on a fork handle in the top of a barrel or a 

 tub, so it will just barely be immersed in the water. 

 As fast as it dissolves it sinks toward the bottom of 

 the vessel. If only 50 gallons (say one barrel) of 

 mixture are to be made it is well to dissolve the 

 copper sulphate in 25 gallons of water. 



The next step is to slake the lime. This should 

 be done by adding a little water at a time, just 

 enough to keep the lime slaking, but not enough to 

 dissipate the heat generated in the process. When 

 the slaking is finished more water can be added, 

 making the lime into a thick cream. It can then be 

 diluted so as to make 25 gallons or half a barrel of 

 solution. If necessary, it should be strained. With 

 good lime, however, the straining can be omitted. 



The two solutions are now ready the copper sul- 

 phate in one tub or barrel and the lime in another. 

 To make the mixture, dip or pour the copper sul- 

 phate into the lime, or else pour both solutions at 

 once into a third barrel. In either case the mixture 

 must be stirred vigorously during the pouring. Un- 

 der no circumstances should the process be reversed 

 and the lime poured into the copper sulphate. This 

 little detail, which is of no obvious importance what- 

 ever, really makes the difference between a good 

 and a very bad mixture which may ruin the foliage 

 on every tree it touches. 



When a big campaign of spraying is on and much 

 bordeaux has to be made, the best plan is to make 

 up stock solutions. To do this dissolve say 40 

 pounds of copper sulphate in 40 gallons of hot water, 

 and set it aside for use. Then in a suitable box slake 

 40 pounds of lime, and add enough water to make 

 40 gallons of this solution also. With care these 



