The self-boiled lime-sulphur wash is a combination of lime and sulphur boiled only by the heat of the slaking lime, and is used chiefly for summer spraying on peaches, plums, cherries, etc. as a substitute for the Bordeaux mixture.
| Lime | 8 lb. |
| Sulphur | 6 to 8 lb. |
| Water | 50 gal. |
The lime should be placed in a barrel and enough water poured on it to start it slaking and to keep the sulphur off the bottom of the barrel. The sulphur, which should first be worked through a sieve to break up the lumps, may then be added, and, finally, enough water to slake the lime into a paste. Considerable stirring is necessary to prevent caking on the bottom. After the violent boiling which accompanies the slaking of the lime is over, the mixture should be diluted ready for use, or at least enough cold water added to stop the cooking. From five to fifteen minutes are required for the process. If the hot mass is permitted to stand undiluted as a thick paste, a liquid is produced that is injurious to peach foliage and, in some cases, to apple foliage.
The mixture should be strained through a sieve of twenty meshes to the inch in order to remove the coarse particles of lime, but all the sulphur should be worked through the strainer.
GLOSSARY
To enable young readers to understand the technical words necessarily used in the text only popular definitions are given.
Abdomen: the part of an insect lying behind the thorax.
Acid: a chemical name given to many sour substances. Vinegar and lemon juice owe their sour taste to the acid in them.
Adult: a person, animal, or plant grown to full size and strength.