SnriiNTEESTH ANNUAL MEETING. 85 



ami after simply diluting- it with water, may be applied when 

 convenient. 



Effect oil Spraying liqiiipuicnt. The corrosive action 

 of the lime-sulphur wash is not only disagreeable to man, 

 but its etTect on pumps, barrels, hose and harness is very 

 destructive. The life of the spraying apparatus with which 

 the lime-sul])hur wash is used is comparatively short. An oil 

 preparation, on the other hand, seems to have a beneficial 

 effect on the spraying- equipment. It prevents rusting or cor- 

 roding, and thus permits of the various parts being readily 

 detached. Its injurious effect on rubber hose, however, while 

 less than that of lime and sulphur, seems very pronounced. 

 The injury appears to be a separation of the rubber from the 

 canvas or lining of the hose. To avoid this trouble it seems 

 advisable to use either a canvas-covered or a wire-wound hose. 



Incidental Considerations. The lime-sulphur wash, 

 aside from being a scale remedy, has long been considered 

 the best remedy for another insect known as the pear psylla 

 (Psylla pyricola), and for the disease known as peach leaf 

 curl (Exoascus deformans) . It is also believed to have an 

 invigorating effect on certain fruit trees, more especially the 

 peach and plum. Oil preparations seem to exert a similar 

 influence, especially on the pear, but the extent of which is 

 not yet determined. It is hoped that some fungicide may be 

 found that may be safely added to a "soluble oil,'' and thus 

 produce a combined scale destroyer and fungicide. The man- 

 ufacturers of Scalecide claim to have recently improved their 

 preparation by the addition of a fungicide. Professor Gossard 

 of the Ohio Experiment Station, in speaking of the soluble 

 oils in general, observes that "these oils, when applied to 

 peach, appeared to have a distinct fungicidal value, whether or 

 not equal to that of Ume and sulphur, we cannot judge." The 

 fungicidal value, however, has not yet been clearly demon- 

 strated. 



Recapitulation. In summing up the various advantages 

 and disadvantages of these two insecticides, it is evident that 

 under ordinary conditions the oil spra\- is more efficient, is as 

 free from injurious effects upon the tree, decidedly cheaper, 



