The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-03-01

the lime in a separate vessel, but this
is wholly unnecessary and comp1i-
Gates the work. The material must
pass through a strainer before 1t
reaches the spray tank. This Is very
easily done. How long to boil the
material is not an easy question to
answer. One thing must be settled
definitely, and that is, that the mix
ture must be boiled till the sulphur
is completely dissolved. AS a rule
about one hour will be required for
this boiling. The person who prepar-
es the material will soon learn by the
color of the solution when 1t Is boiled
When the sulphur is completely dis
solved and the mixture shows an am
Der color the boiling should cease, for,
if continued too long, other chemical
changes take place that to some ex-
tent decrease the efficiency of the
compound. During the boiling, or af-
ter, enough water must be added to
make the proportions to be LID or
the lib as the case may be. Here Is
where the extra tank comes in with
profit The mixture can be run into
the lower tank, water can be added
to make the proper proportions and,
by keeping a fire under this tank also,
the mixture can be ready for the
spraying outfit while another batch is
being prepared in the first tank. The
efficiency of the lime-sulphur wash Is
in no way affected by being hot-it
simply works better, that is all. Nor
it it's efficiency affected by standing
over night. All the damage in that
case is that it is harder to properly
spray onto the trees. Britton, of Con-
necticut, has shown conclusively that
after it is placed on the trees its eff
ficiency remains for months He found
more dead scales at the end of two
weeks than at the end of one and
more dead at the end of four months
than at the end Of three.
It has been said that If the spray
material stands over night it loses
it's strength and is worthless. This
is a mistake, as Britton has shown. If
kept warm over night and slightly
heated up the next morning it works
fairly we'll and it's strength is in no
way impaired. However, as the longer
it stands the more difficult it is to
work it properly, the better way is to
spray it as soon as we can after 1t is
prepared. IF, however. something de-
lays the work of spraying, such as a
hard wind or the breaking of the
pump, the prepared material need not
be thrown away as long as 1t will pass
through the pump without serious
clogging.
One of the very important things in
using the 1ime-sulphur wash is It's
proper application to the infected
trees. The work must be thoroughly
done. The insects will not come to
the material on the trees but the ones
which travel at all will avoid It, So
we must put it on their. If any part
of the infected tree is missed the
scales will multiply rapidly the fol
lowing summer. The young ones will
seek the new growth and there estab-
lish their colonies and these in time
will be carried by the birds, and pos
sibly by other agencies, and infect
the whole orchard.
The usual time of spraying is late
in the winter and early In the spring
before the leaves start. Some recon-
mend spraying in the fall. Britton in
his admirable report says that the
old scales die off during the winter.
BY killing the young ones which have
been seen crawling about as late as
December the work IS very effective.
In small orchards the spraying will
have to be done by hand, as the ex-
pense is too great in purchasing ex-
pensive machinery But in large or
chards a power sprayer can be used
to great profit The writer uses a
gasoline engine and has spray tank
that holds $50 gallons. By the use of
the two tanks the spraying outfit can
be kept at work without delays In
waiting for the preparation of the ma