86 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
I. Arsenite of Soda for Bordeaux Mixture.—To a solution of 
four pounds salsoda crystals in one gallon of water, add one pound 
of white arsenic and boil until dissolved. Add water to replace any 
boiled away, so that one gallon of stock solution of arsenite of soda 
is the result. Use one quart of this stock solution to fifty gallons of 
Bordeaux for fruit trees. 
II. Arsenite of Lime.—(a) If used alone (not in connection with 
Bordeaux) white arsenic should be prepared thus:—To a solution of 
one pound of salsoda crystals in a gallon of water, add one pound of 
white arsenic and boil until dissolved. Then add two pounds of 
fresh slaked lime and boil twenty minutes. Add water to make two 
gallons of stock solution. Use two quarts of this stock solution to 
fifty gallons of water. 
(b) Boil one pound of white arsenic in two gallons of water for 
one-half hour and use the solution while hot to slake two pounds of 
good, fresh, quick-lime. Add water to make two gallons of Stock 
solution and use two quarts of this to fifty gallons of water or Bor¬ 
deaux mixture. •*- 
(c) Slake two pounds of good, fresh, quick-lime and add water to 
make two gallons of milk of lime. Add one pound of white arsenic 
and boil hard for forty minutes. Add water to bring the resulting 
compound up to two gallons. Use two quarts of this stock solution 
to fifty-gallons of water or Bordeaux mixture. 
Other Arsenical Poisons. 
Green arsenoid and Paragrene are more bulky and finer than Paris- 
green, and when of good quality they are just as effective and require, 
less agitation. London purple is not now used. 
Bordeaux Mixture, 3-4-50. 
Copper Sulfate (Blue vitriol). 3 pounds 
Quick-lime (Good stone lime). 4 
Water . 50 gallons 
For peaches and Japanese plums, more water (60.to 70 gallons) 
should be used. 
Three pounds of sulfate of copper dissolved in fifty gallons of 
water, when applied at the proper time, will prevent the growth of 
fungi. However, if applied in this form, the solution will burn the 
foliage. Four pounds of quick-lime in three pounds of copper will 
neutralize the caustic action. When sulfate of copper and lime are 
mixed in this proportion, the compound is Bordeaux mixture. 
Make up stock solutions of copper sulfate and lime, but do not 
mix them till ready to use, as Bordeaux mixture deteriorates after 
standing a few hours. Put any number of gallons of water into a 
barrel, and dissolve in it one pound of copper sulfate for each gallon. 
This is most rapidly done by suspending the copper sulfate in a 
gunny sack just below the surface, as the copper salt in solution sinks 
rapidly to the bottom. The milk of lime is prepared by slaking the 
quick-lime without drowning, and adding enough water to make one 
gallon for each pound of lime. In mixing to make Bordeaux, stir 
the stock solutions, and dip out one gallon for each pound of either 
material required, always taking the precaution to add the full 
amount of water between the other two ingredients. If the concen¬ 
trated solutions are put together, a curdled, lumpy mass will be 
formed, which will clog the nozzles and be hard to keep in suspen¬ 
sion. If the milk of lime is lumpy or granular, it should be strained 
through a sieve to avoid~clogging the nozzles. An excess of lime 
does no harm, but an excess of copper solution brings injury to the 
foliage. Attest for Bordeaux is made with ferrocyanide of potas¬ 
sium. An ounce of this substance, known to the drug trade as yel¬ 
low prussiate of potash, is dissolved in a pint of water. When Bor¬ 
deaux is made, it may be tested by letting three or four drops of this 
solution fall upon the surface. If there is too much copper salt, the 
ferrocyanide solution will turn brown. '* Lime should be added till 
the test liquid fails to change color. Even then it is best to add more 
lime to make a sure thing. 
Soda-Bordeaux. 
Soda (commercial lye). 2 "pounds. 
Copper sulfate . 6 
Lime . % to ^ pound 
Water . 60 gals. 
Commercial soda lye may be used, but the mixture must be tested 
to insure its alkalinity. The amount of lime may in some cases be 
slightly diminished according to strength of the lye. 
Dissolve the lye and dilute to 10 or 15 gal. and pour into the cop¬ 
per solution and then add lime as required. Paris green may be 
safely used in connection with this mixture. 
'“Process” Lime for Bordeaux Mixture. 
The so-called “new process” or prepared limes, now offered on 
the market are of two classes. One consists of the quick-lime that 
has been ground to a powder. The other is the dry- water-slaked 
lime, made by using only enough water to slake the quick-lime, but 
not enough to leave it wet. % When the hard “stone” lime becomes 
air-slaked it is evident to the eye from the change to a loose powdery 
mass. Should one of these prepared limes be to any considerable 
degree air-slaked, its appearance would be no indication of its real 
condition. 
A simple test for the presence of much carbonate of lime in these 
prepared limes, can be easily performed. A small amount of the 
lime——teaspoonful—dropped on a little hot vinegar, will effer¬ 
vesce or “sizzle,” if it contain the carbonate of lime, acting about the 
same as soda. 
A sample of a new process lime analyzed at this Station, showed 
30 per cent magnesia. This came from burning a dolomitic lime¬ 
stone, that is, one containing carbonate of magnesia with the car¬ 
bonate of lime. The magnesia does not slake with water like the 
lime, and hence is useless in the Bordeaux mixture. There is no 
easy way outside a chemical laboratory of telling the presence of 
magnesia. 
As a general rule more “process” lime is required to neutralize 
the copper sulfate than good stone lime. 
Lime-Sulfur Wash. 
Lime 20 lbs. 
Sulfur 15 lbs. 
Water sufficient to bring the boiled product up to 45 gallons. 
General Directions for Preparing. The lime and sulfur must be 
boiled or steamed. Mix the sulfur into a thin paste, using only 
enough water to break up all the lumps. Place about 15 gallons of 
water in a kettle, or boiling tank, or vat, if steam is employed, and 
heat to the boiling point. Add the sulfur paste to the boiling water 
and mix thoroughly. Next, add the stone lime—which should be 
previously weighed out and ready for use—and while the lime is 
slaking stir often enough to keep the lime and sulfur well mixed. In 
this way the entire heat of the slaking lime combined with the heat 
of the boiling water will dissolve much of the sulfur. As the sulfur 
goes into solution, a rich brick-red color will appear. While the lime 
is slaking water may have to be added to prevent boiling over. 
Where steam is employed it will have to be turned off until the lime 
is partly slaked. An excess of water, more than 15 or 20 gallons at 
the most, is not desirable. After the lime is slaked continue the 
boiling’for fronfiforty minutes’to one hour, or more if necessary to 
get the sulfur well dissolved. 
Special method by steam.-—The following method is recommended 
by Geo. E. Fisher, former San Jose Scale inspector for the Province 
of Ontario, Canada: Steam is employed to dissolve the lump sulfur 
and cook the mixture. Provide yourself with eight barrels. Put 
in quarter the full amount of sulfur and fresh stone lime in four 
barrels with a proportionate amount of water. Turn the steam 
under a pressure of 80 to 100 lbs. (15 to 20 lbs. pressure works well) 
into these four barrels. When the water has boiled for a few minu¬ 
tes in these barrels turn off the steam. It may then be turned on to 
four more barrels which have been prepared in the same manner as 
the first set. The full amount of lime and sulfur is then added to 
the first set of barrels slowly enough to prevent boiling over by the 
heat generated by the slaking lime. When the lime is all slaked, 
turn on the steam again for two or three hours or till the mixture is 
thoroughly cooked. It is quite possible, to feed each barrel during 
the boiling process with a small stream of water, which will gradually 
fill the barrel without preventing the boiling. The mixture becomes 
quite thin during the boiling process, and when finished is of a deep 
orange color. 
The mixture may also be made by boiling in iron kettles. Heat 
the water before adding the lime and sulfur. All the sulfur should 
be thoroughly reduced. Pour into the sprayer through a strainer, 
and apply to the trees while warm. This is to be used while the 
trees are dormant. This mixture has considerable value as a fungi¬ 
cide. It prevents curl leaf and has in some cases prevented apple 
and pear scab. Should be used fresh. 
Ammoniacal Copper Carbenate. 
Copper Carbonate. 5 oz. 
Ammonia or Aquafortis (26° Beaume).. 3 pints. 
Water . 45 gals. 
Make a paste of the copper carbonate with a little water. Dilute 
the ammonia with 7 or 8 volumes of water. Add the paste to the 
diluted ammonia and stir until dissolved. Add enough water to 
make 45 gallons. Allow it to settle and use only the clear blue 
liquid. This mixture loses strength on standing. For fungous 
diseases late in the season. 
Copper Sulfate Solution. 
Copper sulfate . 1 pound 
Water . . 15-25 gallons 
Dissolve the copper sulfate in the water. It is then ready for use. 
This should never be applied to foliage, but must be used before the 
buds break. For peaches and nectarines, use 25 gallons of water. 
For fungous diseases, but now largely supplanted by the Bordeaux 
mixture. A much weaker solution has been recommended for trees 
in leaf but it is rarely used. 
