GENERAL ADVICE. 



L. 11. BAILEY. 



Each succeedirg year emphasizes the importance of spraying. 

 There is no longer any clonbt that the operation is based on rational 

 principles and is demanded by the increasing incursions of insects 

 and fungi. Yet a man says, " I sprayed this year, and it did no 

 good. Shall I spray next year ? " A man may insure his barn this 

 year and it does no good ; but he insures it again next year. My 

 neighbor put in a tile drain last spring, but it did no good this year ; 

 I do not believe he will dig it up. My neighbor believes in tilling 

 to save moisture ; yet two years ago he had too much moisture, but 

 I notice that he did not abandon tillage last year. The wise man 

 takes precautions. 



Farming, like any other business, should be ruled by ideals. The 

 good farmer sets a mark and tries to attain to it. He knows that 

 the mark is right and the effort is right, even thongh incidental 

 results now and then seem to contradict. The experiences of a sin- 

 gle season do not prove nor disprove things which are true. AVe 

 know that sprays kill insects and check the spread of fungi : and we 

 know that the insects and fungi are with ns. Lay out a course of 

 action to accomplish a desired result : modify your practice as the 



case requires, but stick to the action. 



* * -x- 



What is new in spraying ? Perhaj^s nothing which experimenters 

 are ready to recommend ; but we know some things better than we 

 did last year. One of these things is tlie fact that the old kerosene 

 and soap emulsion — the vilest of concoctions — seems to be doomed. 

 The kerosene and water emulsion is to take its place. The insecti- 

 cidal properties of this mixture have long been known, but it has 

 .needed a practicable mechanical device to mix them. There are 

 two great difficulties in this mechanical problem — the difficulty of 

 making a mathematically correct mixture of the water and oil, and 



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