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CIRCULAR 14 8, U. 8. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



LIME-SULPHUR DIP 



Proprietary brands of liquid lime-sulphur may be purchased, and 

 many of them are equal to or eyen better than the homemade product. 

 Manufacturers have also placed on the market a product commonly 

 known as dry lime-sulphur, made by evaporating, in vacuo or in the 

 presence of an inert gas, concentrated lime-sulphur solution to which 

 a small amount of cane sugar has been added to act as a stabilizing 

 agent. Dry lime-sulphur is readily soluble in hot water, and it is 

 being extensively used as a dip for animals and as an insecticide for 

 plants. Prepared dips should be diluted and used in accordance 

 with instructions printed on the label of the container. Lime-sul- 

 phur dips are efficacious and dependable remedies for mange, but 

 they are not effective against lice and ticks. 



Homemade lime-sulphur dip is made in the proportion of 12 

 pounds of unslaked lime (or 16 pounds of commercial hydrated 



Figure 85. — Superstructure and draining pen of cage vat 



lime) and 2l pounds of flowers of sulphur to 100 gallons of water. 

 The lime and sulphur should be weighed and the water measured; 

 do not trust to guess work. Slake the lime in a shallow, water-tight 

 box or tank and add water enough to form a thin paste. Sift the 

 sulphur into the paste and mix well with a broad hoe until a mixture 

 of about the consistence of mortar is formed, adding water as re- 

 quired. Put the mixture into 30 gallons of boiling water, adding it 

 slowly so as not to interrupt the boiling, and boil until the sulphur 

 disappears from the surface. The boiling should be continued for 

 from one and a half to two hours without cessation, and the mixture 

 stirred to prevent settling and caking on the bottom. When the sul- 

 phur has disappeared from the surface and the mixture is of a choco- 

 late or dark-amber color, the boiling should be discontinued. 



The contents of the boiling tank should be drawn off or dipped out 

 and placed in the settling tank and allowed to stand until all solids 

 have settled to the bottom and the liquid is clear. An ordinary water- 

 tight barrel will serve very well for a settling tank at a small vat. A 



