IQII 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page SI 



phates, ana, therefore, the sediment, are 

 undoubtedly increased by unduly pro- 

 longed boiling. Hence the amount of 

 water added in the third addition should 

 be so regulated as to permit the neces- 

 sary boiling, and just reach the desired 

 volume at the close. This gives the least 

 sediment, and the regulation can be easily 

 accomplished after a few trials. 



The finished product may be imme- 

 diately poured or strained into a barrel 

 or settling tank. The straining is merely 

 a safeguard to prevent possible clogging 

 due to imperfect materials or failure to 

 break lumps in the sulphur. When prop- 

 erly made the amount of sediment left in 

 the strainer is insignificant. To avoid 

 any considerable loss of materials it may 

 be washed with part of the water used 

 in making the next lot, simply pouring 

 the water through the strainer into the 

 kettle, and any lumps of sulphur discov- 

 ered may be broken up and used again. 



The sediment is apparently of no value 

 as a spray material against insects, hence 

 its volume and removal, especially in the 

 commercial preparations, become mat- 

 ters of importance. It is composed very 

 largely sulphites and sulphates of cal- 

 cium, together with the magnesium, iron. 



aluminum and other insoluble impurities 

 in the lime and sulphur used. Its volume 

 is af¥ected chiefly by the ratio of lime- 

 sulphur, the purity of materials and the 

 time of boiling. Its relative volume also 

 naturally increases with the density of 

 the product. Made as described above 

 its actual volume apparently runs from 

 5% to 9% of the total product. 



In the home preparation the difficulty 

 of its economic removal and its fine- 

 ness and apparent lack of objectionable 

 mechanical qualities, except in displacing 

 valuable materials, have led us to disre- 

 gard it. If desired, however, it may be 

 removed by letting the product settle for 

 about a day, drawing of? the clear por- 

 tion and straining the remainder through 

 a moderately fine cloth inside of the 

 strainer. The sludge may then be washed 

 free of any further valuable materials in 

 the manner stated above. 



If properly handled lime-sulphur prep- 

 arations apparently can be preserved 

 indefinitely. Ordinary changes in tem- 

 perature have little effect on them. But 

 they are very sensitive to a number of 

 other influences. Continued exposure to 

 air, for example, results in the develop- 

 ment of a crust of solids of varying 



thickness. This is prevented by cutting 

 of¥ the exposure to air, either by an oil 

 covering or by immediate storage in 

 tight closed vessels, filling them com- 

 pletely. When the crust does develop it 

 can be skimmed of¥ with a fine screen and 

 readily redissolved by heating either in 

 water or in the concentrate itself. 



These solutions are also decomposed 

 by a number of other things. Acids, car- 

 bon dioxid, certain arsenicals, and even 

 extra lime put in as a marker, all appear 

 more or less rapidly to break down the 

 lime-sulphur combination. This is by no 

 means always fatal in practical results, 

 but we believe it is to be avoided when 

 possible. Most of them can be avoided 

 by elimination. 



In the case of arsenicals. however, 

 their addition is necessary if the material 

 is to be used as a summer fungicide. 

 The addition of arsenate of lead results 

 in very rapid decomposition, both of 

 itself and the lime-sulphur. The result- 

 ing compounds seem to give good results 

 practically, however, so that we cannot 

 entirely condemn the process just at 

 present. But it seems to be a very waste- 

 ful process, especially when we can 

 obtain the s^ime poisoning power in 

 another arsenical — the arsenite of lime — 

 for about one-sixth the cost. The latter 

 arsenical also is practically stable in the 

 lime-sulphur solution. It has been in use 

 to a greater or less extent for a long 

 time in connection with other fungicides, 

 but has been limited by a tendency to 

 burn foliage. This is practically avoided 

 by making it up with a slight modifica- 

 tion of the Kedzie formula, the method 

 being described in the above mentioned 

 bulletin of the Pennsylvania Station. 

 The use of paris green in this solution, 



