igii 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page 



45 



and the treated potatoes are extremely 

 poisonous. 



Formalin, a 40 per eent solution of 

 formaldehyde gas in water, is being used 

 extensively as a preventive of potato 

 scab and of the grain smuts, and gives 

 most excellent results. It is cheap, effi- 

 cient and non-poisonous. For potato 

 scab soak the seed two hours in the fol- 

 lowing solution: 



(24a) Formalin ^ pint 



Water 15 gallons 



For grain-smuts soak the seed for one 



to two hours in the following: 



(24b) Formalin 1 pint 



Water 50 gallons 



It is often desirable and practicable to 

 use sprays which combine both fungi- 

 cidal and insecticidal qualities. The 

 time, expense and annoyance of one or 

 more sprayings may frequently be elimi- 

 nated by such combinations. Thus bor- 

 deaux mixture and paris green, or arsen- 

 ate of lead, have long been used as a 

 combined spray for apple-scab and cod- 

 ling moth, and the expense of control- 

 ling these two important apple pests has 

 thereby been materially reduced. This 

 spray, however, combines only the fungi- 

 cidal value of bordeaux and the food 

 poison value of the arsenical. It is of 

 little or no value as a contact insecti- 

 cide — in other words, it is of no value 

 against scale insects, plant-lice and the 

 numerous insects which belong to group 

 two. 



During the past three years we have 

 conclusively demonstrated that the lime- 

 sulphur spray, which has long been 

 known as the most satisfactory winter 

 spray for San Jose scale, has fungicidal 

 qualities nearly or quite equal to those 

 of bordeaux. We have also conclusively 

 demonstrated that it may be used in 

 combination with arsenate of lead with- 

 out materially detracting from the value 

 of either; and that when so used it is 

 at once an efficient contact insecticide, 

 food poison spray and fungicide. 



It also has the advantage that when 

 properly diluted it may be used either 

 as a winter or summer spray. 



As a winter spray one application of 

 lime-sulphur spray each year will do 

 more for the neglected orchard than can 

 be done in any other way by the same 

 expenditure of cash and energy. It not 

 only destroys San Jose scale, but it also 

 destroys the branch form of woolly- 

 aphis, the eggs of the green-aphis, the 

 pear-leaf aphis blister mite, the hiber- 

 nating larvae of the prune twig-miner, 

 probably the hibernating larvae of the 



ADULT OF CURRANT AND GOOSEBERRY 

 FRUIT MAGGOT 

 Colorado Experiment Station 



bud-moth, together with most other 

 insects which ma}' chance to be winter- 

 ing upon the trees. It is also a good 

 fungicide. If applied in fall it is nearly 

 or quite equal to bordeaux as a pre- 

 ventive of apple-tree anthracnose, and 

 when applied to peach trees just before 

 the buds open in spring it is a pre- 

 ventive of peach-leaf curl. 



As a summer spray the results of the 

 past three seasons' work at the Oregon 

 Experime'nt Station prove conclusively 

 that when properly diluted it can be 

 safely used upon the apple, pear, plum 

 and prune, potato, celery and other 

 hardy plants, and that it gives better 

 results in controlling apple scab than 

 does bordeaux, which has been the stand- 

 ard spray for this disease, and, further, 

 that it does not produce the disastrous 

 "spray injury" to the fruit which is so 

 common, and often serious, when bor- 

 deaux is used. 



There are two methods of preparing 

 the lime-sulphur spray. The formula 

 which has been most generally used in 

 this state is as follows: 



(25a) Quick lime 50 pounds 



Sulphur 50 pounds 



Water 150 gallons 



Slake the lime thoroughly, add the sul- 

 phur and boil briskly for at least an hour, 

 or until the mixture is of a deep blood- 

 red color with but little free sulphur on 

 the surface. Add water to make 150 gal- 

 lons. Apply with considerable force 

 through a coarse nozzle. 



The "stock solution" method which is 

 now most generally used in this state 

 has been developed during the past three 

 years. During that time there have 

 appeared upon the market a number 

 of concentrated lime-sulphur solutions, 

 which have only to be diluted with 

 water to be ready for use. Careful 

 experiments extending over three sea- 

 sons have fairly demonstrated that these 

 sprays are fully equal to the old home- 

 made lime-sulphur spray in destroying 

 San Jose scale. Whether all of them 

 can safely be used for summer spraying 

 is yet to be demonstrated. 



The chief fault to be found with these 

 commercial preparations is that they 

 cost too much. The retail price is $9 

 to $12 per barrel of 50 gallons. The lime 

 and sulphur necessary to prepare 50 gal- 

 lons of stock solution, which is equally as 

 efficient, costs at present retail prices 

 approximately $3. It may be prepared 

 as follows: 



(25b) Sulphur (best finely ground) one 



sack 110 pounds 



Lime (best grade) unslaked.. 55 pounds 

 Water, sufficient to make 60 gallons 



Slake the lime, mix the sulphur into a 

 thin paste with a little water, add it to 

 the lime, add sufficient water to make 

 (50 gallons, bring to a boil and boil vig- 

 orously for thirty to forty-five minutes. 

 The sediment is then allowed to settle, 

 after which the clear, dark amber-colored 

 liquid is drawn off, and may be stored in 

 casks for future use. 



Every grower who expects to prepare 

 his own spray by the stock solution 

 method should provide himself with a 

 Beaume acid scale hydrometer. Such an 

 instrument, which should not cost over 

 $1, furnishes a very simple and con- 

 venient method of testing the strength 



PUMP FITTINGS 

 124, "Leakless" stopcock; 125, Stopcock; 

 126, Hose coupling; 127, Hose nut; 12S, 

 High pressure hose couplings; 129, Brass 

 grease cup; 130, Hose clamp; 131, Top oil 

 cup: 132, Drip guards; 133, Brass emptying 

 flange, with screw top 



of the solution. A "stock" solution, pre- 

 pared as above described, should test 

 approximately 30° upon such a scale. 



If the grower be provided with a 

 hydrometer it is not at all necessary to 

 obtain the stock solutions of uniform 

 strength. The following table gives the 

 proper dilution to be used with stock 

 solutions of various degrees of density, 

 both for winter and summer spraying: 



) 





inter 



Summer 



Stock SoJutioit 



Dilution 



Dilutio n 



32° 



Beaume scale . . , 



1—12 



1 — 32 



31° 



Beaume scale . . . 



, .1—11 



1—31 



30° 



Beaume scale. . . 



1—10 



1—30 



29° 



Beaume scale. . . 



. . . .1—91/2 



1—29 



28° 



Beaume scale . . . 



1—9 



1—28 



27° 



Beaume scale . . . 



1—81/. 



1—27 



26° 



Beaume scale . . . 



1—8 



1—26 



25° 



Beaume scale . . . 



. . . .1—71/2 



1—25 



24° 



Beaume scale . . . 



1—7 



1—24 



23° 





. . . .1—6 1/2 



1—23 



22° 



Beaume scale . . . 



1—6 



1 — 22 



General directions as to how many 

 times to spray and when the applications 

 should be made are at best unsalisfac- 



Continued on page 53 



