HOME-MADE SOLUBLE OILS. 84I 



Three of these mixtures, in small quantities, have been tested 

 by us: 



"Lion Brand California Wash," a concentrated lime, sulphur 

 and salt mixture, made by the James A. Blanchard Company of 

 New York. On April 19th four small apple trees were thoroughly 

 sprayed with this mixture, following directions. The first week 

 in July the trees were examined, and only 3.8 per cent, of the 

 insects found to be alive. 



"Swift's Concentrated Sulphur-Lime," made by the Merrimac 

 Chemical Company of Boston, and "Sulfocide," made by the B. 

 G. Pratt Company of New York, have each been tried on a few 

 trees, but it is now too early to be certain of the results. 



Of course these preparations must be tested on a large scale 

 and under varying conditions before we can recommend them, 

 but there still seems to be a demand for lime-sulphur washes, 

 and if they can be made cheaply and satisfactorily, most of the 

 smaller growers will prefer to purchase the prepared mixture. 



Conclusions. 



Our own experience in making soluble oils leads us to advise 

 orchardists to purchase a prepared mixture, except that in some 

 cases a large grower might find it profitable to buy the materials 

 and make it at home. Materials left over will keep for a time, 

 but do not improve, and some loss takes place through leakage 

 and evaporation. It is also certain that where made in large 

 quantities the product will run more uniform than it is possible 

 to make it in small quantities, even with great care. 



It is not claimed that any of these home-made oils are better 

 than the best kinds on the market — they are simply cheaper and 

 can be used for the purpose. 



It is probable that soluble oils will continue to be used for spray- 

 ing apple orchards, especially large trees, where it is difficult to 

 coat the pubescent twigs with a lime-sulphur wash, and to reach 

 the scale insects under the edges of the rough bark and the bud 

 scales. They are also much to be preferred for use in the city 

 garden, the public park and the nursery. 



On the other hand, soluble oils have not entirely superseded 

 lime-sulphur. Several orchardists have continued using the latter, 

 and some others are going back to it. The lime-sulphur wash 



