special report for year i914. ' 37 



Substitutes tor Lime-Sulphur Sprays. 



A spray combination known as "copper-lime-sulphur" has 

 been tried and recommended by the Virginia Experiment Sta- 

 tion as efficient in controlling rust on apples. A plot of trees 

 sprayed with this material was included in the 1914 experi- 

 ments to see if it would prove equally satisfactory for prevent- 

 ing apple scab in Maine. The results obtained on Ben Davis 

 trees were very disappointing. The trees suffered severely 

 from foliage injury. Over 57 per cent of the fruit was russeted 

 and less than 41 per cent of perfect apples were obtained, while 

 adjoining plots sprayed with other fungicides produced from 

 96 to 98 per cent of fruit without spot or blemish. 



On account of real or supposed difficulties attendant upon 

 the manufacture of concentrated lime-sulphur solution at home 

 it has come to be the common practice in Maine to purchase the 

 material already prepared. Except for the added cost there is 

 no particular objection to this for, unlike the numerous forms of 

 ready-made bordeaux mixture which have appeared from time 

 to time, the various brands of concentrated lime-sulphur put 

 out by reliable concerns appear to be equal to the best of the 

 home-made goods. However, every time an orchardist pur- 

 chases rather than makes his lime-sulphur concentrate he pays 

 freight from Boston, New York, Baltimore or some other more 

 distant point upon from one-fortieth to one-tenth of all the 

 water used in his spray. In the case of a large orchard this is 

 an item of expense of considerable importance. 



From the above it is apparent that any concern which can 

 place on the market a lime-sulphur concentrate with all the 

 water removed, or can furnish some other form of dry powder 

 or paste which is equally as satisfactory as a fungicide, will 

 thereby secure a distinct advantage over its competitors. The 

 first proposition so far has not proved practicable but there 

 are powder and paste substitutes on the market. It is not the 

 practice of nor within the province of the Station to conduct 

 tests of proprietary articles of -this nature, but on account of 

 the distinct advantages which these concentrated spray materials 

 appeared to offer, provided they could substantiate the claims 

 which their manufacturers made for them, it seemed advisable 

 to include some of them in the spraying experiments conducted 

 at Highmoor Farm in 191 3 and 191 4. 



