60 PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE 



enemy of the grape. It is composed of copper sulphate 

 and lime. 



For use on coffee this should be a 2 per cent solution 

 of copper sulphate, but for most plants i per cent is 

 strong enough. Into this copper solution must be put 

 lime enough to make the mixture neutral. How much 

 lime this takes depends on the freshness of the lime. 

 If the lime is fresh and good, use as much of it as of 

 the copper sulphate. The mixture is neutral when red 

 litmus paper placed in it will not turn blue, nor blue 

 litmus paper turn red. 'It must be used while fresh; that 

 is, soon after it is made. It can be sprayed on plants 

 or trees, or their branches can be dipped into it. Any 

 fungus spores which begin to germinate on leaves treated 

 with this mixture will promptly be killed. Of course, 

 the rain will finally wash it off. 



In fighting the coffee rust, the Bordeaux mixture 

 should be put on immediately after the beginning of 

 the rainy season. After this, the trees should be watched; 

 and whenever the yellowish spots made by the disease 

 begin to appear on the under side of any leaves, all the 

 trees should be sprayed again. It will be necessary to 

 spray well only two or three times a year, and this will 

 cost much less than the value of the coffee which is 

 saved. Garden crops are not often seriously damaged 

 by the attacks of fungi. 



