-2- 



need for cutting out every other diagonal row in order to give the trees 

 adequate sunlight and to eliminate crovj-ding belov; ground. Thus, we not 

 only add to the supply of vrood for the fireplace but we give the remain- 

 ing trees a better supply of nitrogen, sunlight, water and other things 

 which accompany balanced nutrition. More mulch, more efficient pruning, 

 better spacing, and in some cases a little early spring harrowing, will 

 go a long way toward stimulating our sod orchards and therebj'- maintain 

 good production. Poultry manure may also be used to good advantage. 



Some Facts About Su lfur 



The yellow magician, sulfur, has held the center of the stage 

 of world progress for nearly 4,000 recorded years. Ancients dispelled 

 evil spirits v.-ith it. Chinese produced gunpowder with it. Egyptians 

 bleached fabrics v;ith it. Artists made paint with it. Early sculptors 

 bronzed statues Vsiith it. Alchemists tried to make gold with it. Drug- 

 gists make medicine of it. Prepared foods contain it. Agriculture and 

 industry are dependent on it. Plants, animals and humans cannot live 

 without it. Sulfur is truly a magic element. At least 2,000 years B.C., 

 pagan priests were using sulfur in their ceremonial rites. Homer, in his 

 Odyssey, mentioned its use for fumigation, and Pliny, another famous Greek 

 of that day, spoke of four different kinds of sulfur for medicinal and tex- 

 tile uses. Until comparatively recent times, Sicily was the chief source 

 of the world's upply of sulfur. In the 15tn Century a large deposit of 

 this material mixed with limestone and other impurities was found there. 

 For the past 35 years practically all of the sulfur consumed in this coun- 

 try has come from mines located in the Gulf Coast regions of Louisiana 

 and Texas where large deposits are found at depths ranging from 500 to 

 1500 feet below the surface. 



During 1940, the sulfur industry succeeded in meeting the greatest 

 demand for this material in the history of the United States. About 2^ 

 million tons of sulfur were shipped during that year. The estimated re- 

 quirement during 1942 is 3 million tons. Stocks of sulfur are noxv near an 

 all time high. Instead of six months' supply available at the beginning 

 of the other World Vi'ar, it is estimated that there is now enough sulfur 

 above ground to last nearly two years. Crystalline sulfur melts at 240° F. 

 Thus, by pumping super-heated water into the deposit far under ground the 

 melted sulfur, almost chemically pure, is pumped out and allowed to solidify. 



Aside from the enormous demand for sulfur as a fungicide, this 

 interesting element finds its way into the following industries: fertilizer, 

 pulp and paper, rubber, rayon, oil, iron and steel, paint and varnish, etc. 

 About 50 pounds of sulfur are required in the production of one ton of paper 

 used in printing. One pound of sulfur is used in manufacturing each pound 

 of rayon which finds its way into clothing and even rubber tires. One 

 pound of sulfur is used in the 17 pounds of rubber which go into the av- 

 erage automobile tire. Eighteen pounds of sulfur, as sulfuric acid, are 

 used per ton of steel. 



The first scientific use of sulfur as a fungicide goes back to 

 1853 xvhen DeBary published his great work on cereal rusts and smuts. Soon 

 afterward, sulfur came into general use in France and adjoining countries 



