BORDEAUX MIXTURE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1263, 14 May 1896, Page 6

BORDEAUX MIXTURE.

Mr MeAlpine, Victoria, recommends tho following formula for Bordeaux mixture as a spray for fungoid diseases : Quicklime (to be freshly slaked), lib ; molasses, -lib ; hluestone (sulphate of copper), lib; water, 20gal. Take a wooden vessel, holding at least about 18gal of water, and place in it ■lib of quicklime which has been freshly slaked, cooled and passed through a sieve. Next pour over if tho Mb of treacle, and run on a few pints of water to stir up and m : x the ingredients well. Then make up to lOgal to 18gal with water, and leave standing for a few hours, giving it a good stir once in tho interval. A clear treaclecoloured liquid is the result, with tho unused lime at tho bottom of the vessel. Next take a wooden pail, holding from 2gal to Igal of water, put tho powdered blue-stone-in a coarse canvas bag, and suspend it in tho water until thesulpliato is entirely dissolved. Four tho solution of bluestone into the spraying machine, and pour off tho clear treacle-coloured liquid into tho samo vessel, without allowing tho sediment to pass. This will give 20gal of a beautiful greenish liquid, ready for spraying. If the soaking of tho lime aud treacle and tho solution of tho bluestone is allowed to go on over night, the liquids will bo ready for mixing in the morning, End while if is desirable, to use the materials as fresh as possible, yet if rain should intervene or any interruption, tho treacle and lime mixture will keep without injury for a few days. To get the best results use fresh lime of good quality, see that the bluestone is of a deep blue colour and does not contain an admixture of copperas or sulphate of iron, and let tho water used be cold. Tho number and times of treatment will vary according to the season, but, speaking generally, the best time to spray tho trees would bo (Ist) after pruning, when they are baro of leaves;(2nd) just before tho buds begin to burst; (3rd) when the leaves are fully formed, if no necessity for spraying should arise before that; and (Ith) if the fruit litis to bo protected, when it is fully set and can stand the impinging of the spraying material. There would thus bo two winter sprayings with tho solution of full strength. Winter spraying is the most important, and if thoroughly done renders summer treatment to a largo extent unnecessary. Avoid spraying when fcho trees aro in blossom, for then the fertilising insects aro about, and the ripe pollen is often destroyed by wot. Spraying should be done thoroughly to bo effectual, and a fine mist is what is wanted, not a drenching downpour. If too coarse tho fungicide is wasted, and collecting in quantity on tho leaves is inoro likely to do damage. A cool, calm day is best for tho purpose. When wind is blowing there is a waste of material, and the spray is not uniformly distributed. The strength of tho mixture given is for winter use, when tho tree is bare of leaves; but for summer use, when the loavos have appeared, from ■lOgal to 80gal of water would be used for the same quantity of material.