HOUSE AND GARDEN 
374 
The lime-sulphur wash may be obtained in three ways: (i) 
home boiling, in which the ingredients, in the proportions of 
Lump lime. 4 lbs. 
Flower of sulphur . 3 lbs. 
Water . 5 gals. 
are boiled hard for an hour, kept well stirred, in an iron kettle. 
After boiling add water at the rate of 5 gals., preferably hot, and 
use if possible before cooling. (2) Self-boiling: While the self- 
boiled lime-sulphur is very slightly less effective than the fire- 
boiled, it is so much less trouble to prepare that for use on a 
small scale, it is preferred. It is prepared so easily that there is 
no excuse for the owner of a single tree to let it go unprotected. 
It takes, for a supply for two or three dozen trees, 
Lump lime. 8 lbs. 
Flower of sulphur . 8 lbs. 
Water. 50 gals. 
Slack the lime in a little warm water; when it is going freely, 
sift in the sulphur and keep it stirred thoroughly until a thick 
paste is formed. From the time of putting in the sulphur the 
mixture self-boils for fifteen minutes, preferably covered. Then 
cool down with the rest of the 50 gallons of water, and use as 
soon as possible. A smaller amount may be made, keeping the 
same proportions. Some advise the addition of a little common 
soda-lye—such as is sold in grocery stores—to the mixture, say 
one pound to eight of the lime, adding it after the sulphur is put in. 
(3) The “factory-boiled" or commercial brands of lime-sul¬ 
phur are the easiest to handle and prepare. They are ready for 
use as soon as diluted with water, warm water being preferable if 
it may be had. 
The miscible oils are the most convenient of all winter sprays 
to prepare and apply. They are put out under several trade 
names, and have been proven effective. Dilution with water is 
the only preparation needed, one gallon of the oil making ten to 
twelve of spray. They have the advantage over lime-sulphur, for 
work near buildings that they will not spot painted workwork. or 
make the trees conspicuous. They also do not stick-up and cor¬ 
rode the sprayers and nozzles as badly as lime-sulphur. 
Oil emulsions may be made at home quite readily. The stan¬ 
dard formula is as follows: 
Crude oil or kerosene . 2 gals. 
Water (soft) . 1 gal. 
Soap (preferably fish oil) . Y /z lbs. 
Boil the water 
and add the soap, 
shaved. Dis¬ 
solve thorough¬ 
ly, remove from 
the fire, and add 
the oil, and 
churn rapidly 
with a pump for 
five minutes or 
so, until a milky 
consistency is ob¬ 
tained, and the 
oil and water 
will not sepa¬ 
rate. For use, 
dilute with five 
to seven parts 
water. Where the 
strength of an 
emulsion is ex¬ 
pressed by,say a 
10 per cent, 
kerosene emul¬ 
sion, it means 
December, 19 ii 
that there would be two gallons of kerosene in ten of the mix¬ 
ture as diluted, ready for applying. 
As will be seen from the foregoing, there is quite a choice as 
to the sprays available. There is, however, no choice in the matter 
of applying them thoroughly. Only by covering every square inch 
of bark exposed may efficiency be hoped for. This is where the 
miscible oils have another advantage over the lime-sulphur wash ; 
they spread more and work into the crevices in the bark. 
Before the perfecting of modern spraying apparatus, the 
thorough and economical application of spray materials was a 
problem, especially for the man who could not afford extensive ap¬ 
paratus. It is now a simple matter. Modern nozzles give the 
spray that degree of fineness which is so essential to -thorough 
work. And for use in the hone orchard the compressed air 
sprayer furnishes a steady, conveniently regulated pressure. 
For commercial orchards, use is made of a power spraying 
apparatus, usually driven by gasoline and conveniently arranged 
lines of spray hose and nozzles, handled by poles, which enable the 
operators to cover the trees very readily. For the home orchard 
a barrel-pump like that illustrated below, or one of the sev¬ 
eral good types of knap-sack or air-tank sprayers, like that illus¬ 
trated on this page, does a world of good with mighty little 
effort. There is no reason why home grown fruit should not 
compare very favorably with the best seen in good markets at 
such pay-envelope wrecking prices. 
The little hand sprayers of the syringe type may do for rose 
bushes and plants; but if you have two or three fruit trees get a 
good brass air-tank pump. It will be useful for many things 
beside your winter spraying; not a month in the year but it will 
pay good dividends. An important feature to watch is to see that 
the hose is securely fastened to the tank; on most small pumps 
this is the weakest point. I once got a full charge of kerosene 
emulsion and Paris green square in my mouth, nose and eyes by 
having a pump give way at this point, and since then have been 
rather careful. 
The nozzle is another important factor. It should throw a per¬ 
fectly fine, even spray, should be as nearly as possible “clog” 
proof, and should be under easy control. One simple kind has 
the advantage of having a “goose neck,” so that a simple turn of 
the wrist at the end of the nozzle pole will throw the spray in any 
direction desired, and thus takes the place of a great deal of in¬ 
convenient maneuvering on the part of the operator, in or¬ 
der to cover both 
sides of limbs, 
etc. This advan¬ 
tage is still more 
noticeable on a 
windy day; with 
the old type of 
nozzle throwing 
the spray 
straight ahead, 
it was frequent¬ 
ly necessary, in 
order to do a 
good job, to go 
over the tree 
twice, when the 
wind happened 
to be unfavor¬ 
able. The goose¬ 
neck overcomes 
all this by turn¬ 
ing the spray at 
best point. 
(Continued on 
page 400) 
For the home orchard a barrel pump connected 
with lines of hose makes an efficient sprayer 
The handy little compressed air sprayer is easily 
manipulated and furnishes a steady pressure 
