January, 1910 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



271 



boiling action begins, add the sulphur which 

 has previously been made into a thin paste. 

 Add water gradually. When the lime is 

 quite slaked add the soda, stirring till dis- 

 solved. Cover the barrel lightly and let 

 the contents cook, adding the rest of the 

 water when all action has ceased. 



This wash is easier to prepare than the 

 regular boiled mixture, is slightly more 

 expensive and less effective. It is a good 

 one, however, for the man who wants only 

 a small quantity and has neither the facilities 

 nor the inclination to make the other. 



The common soda lye sold in the grocery 

 may be used in preparing a small quantity 

 of wash by this formula. 



The "factory-boiled" washes are of some- 

 what similar composition and offer to the 

 amateur the easiest means of applying a 

 sulphur wash. The very fact that they are 

 ready for use as once by dilution with water 

 is the strongest of arguments in their favor, 

 and even though they may not be quite as 

 effective as the hot home-boiled article, they 

 will be used more and more by the suburban 

 gardener, to whom the question of a slight 

 increase of cost is not a serious consideration 

 as against the convenience of having a 

 ready-to-use preparation . 



The oil sprays are the most convenient 

 of all to use and many practical fruit growers 

 rely upon them entirely to prevent the 

 spread of the scale. 



The various "miscible oils," special 

 preparations offered under various trade 

 names, are cleverly emulsified oils that mix 

 readily with water and are quite reliable. 

 Again, the question of whether to use them 

 is one for the individual to decide. Is your 

 time worth the cost? 



The New York State Experiment Station 

 gives as a formula for ahome-madeemulsion: 



Crude oil or kerosene 2 gals. 

 Whale-oil or fish-oil soap f lb. 

 Soft water 1 gal. 



Shred the soap and dissolve in the water 

 (boiling). Then, away from the fire, add 

 the oil and emulsify by pumping the mixture 

 on itself for five or ten minutes. Do not 

 use an emulsion which shows a separation 

 of the oil. 



The spray must be distributed in a fine 

 mist, which means the use of a force pump, 

 and the nozzles must be of brass to last. 

 Spray with the wind and if necessary do it 

 a second time from the other side another 

 day. 



But it is only results that count, and there- 

 fore I append these few remarks that will 

 show what is being done in various parts of 

 the country: 



Colorado: Winter spraying in Colorado 

 orchards is done almost exclusively for the 

 destruction of the brown mite, but in some 

 instances orchards have been sprayed for 

 the Howard scale, and also for the destruction 

 of the eggs of the green apple aphis. 



The lime-sulphur preparations, especially 

 the home-made product, have been very 

 successful in destroying the brown mite 

 either in the egg stage or after the little mites 

 have hatched in the spring. The same 



Cooking may be done by injecting steam into the 

 mixed ingredients in a barrel 



For the horns garden some sort of moderate-sized 

 power apparatus is a "wise investment 



preparation, has been successful against 

 Howard scale and is probably the most 

 successful treatment that has been used in 

 Colorado against the peach twig borer. 



The oil sprays, such as kerosene emulsion 

 and the various miscible oils, have been 

 useless for the destruction of eggs in the 

 ordinary strengths. The whale oil soaps and 

 6sh oil soaps when used not weaker than one 

 pound to each gallon of water have been fairly 

 effectual for the destruction of eggs. — C. P. 

 Gillette, State Entomologist. 



New York: I have no doubt as to the 

 advisability of winter spraying with a lime- 

 sulphur spray where there is an infestation 

 of San Jose scale. It not only controls San 

 Jose scale but destroys large numbers of 

 other insect pests in the egg stage of their 

 existence. The insecticidal and fungicidal 

 value of a lime-sulphur spray is perhaps not 

 fully known, as it has heretofore been used 

 during the dormant season more than at 

 any other time. It is coming to be known, 

 however, that if largely diluted it may be 

 used with care as a summer spray for apple 

 scab and aphis (plant lice), especially on 



Completelv cover every twig of the trees, making 

 them -white. Spray with the wind by preference 



the more hardy trees. There are certain 

 commercial preparations of lime-sulphur 

 now on the market that are giving satis- 

 factory results, particularly those which 

 are made in such a way that they do not 

 readily crystalize. — D. B. Young, Assistant 

 State Entomologist. 



— The winter sprays largely used in this 

 state are such as are employed in the treat- 

 ment of the San Jose scale. In commercial 

 plantings I advise sulphur sprays on account 

 of their safe qualities, reasonable efficiency 

 and their comparative cheapness. The com- 

 mercial miscible oils are advised for the treat- 

 ment of a few trees largely because of con- 

 venience in handling them. We find that fall 

 applications of such preparations as are used 

 for the treatment of the scale may cause 

 damages to wood, and as the sulphur sprays 

 are safer, we prefer them for spraying at that 

 season. As a rule very little fall spraying is 

 done in New York because of the late reten- 

 tion of foliage and the appearance of 

 frost. — P. J. Parrott, Experiment Station 

 Entomologist. 



New Jersey: Thorough spraying with 

 the reliable miscible oils is effective. Spray- 

 ing with lime-sulphur for scale is more effect- 

 ive in early spring just before the buds open. 

 When this material is applied in December 

 or January, it is usually not as effective as 

 when applied in March or April. In south- 

 ern New Jersey, spraying must be done not 

 later than April 1st on peaches as they are 

 often in full bloom by April 10th, but in 

 northern New Jersey they can often be 

 sprayed as late as April 10th to 15th, but in 

 an early season this would be rather late. 

 Peaches bloom two weeks later in the 

 vicinity of High Bridge, N. J., than they 

 do at Vineland, N. J. — Maurice A. Blake, 

 State Horticulturist. 



(See also page 288) 



