fiS NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



parts easily accessible. If a hand sprayer is to be used select one sup- 

 plied with a good agitator easily removed from a tank or barrel with as 

 little exposed above the barrel as possible. 



.here are many gasoline power sprayers on the market and while 

 none of them are perfect and each grower must be governed by his own 

 conditions in selecting one, they are necessities in orchards of any con- 

 siderable size. Man's power is too costly to be used in working the 

 pump handle. In hilly orchards the weight of the outfit is of more than 

 ordinary importance. 



While the traction power sprayers may be useful with small trees 

 it is not usually an economical investment. Whatever kind of pump is 

 used the accessories should be of the best quality. Bamboo rods and 

 nozzles of Vermoral type are the most efRcient. The hose should be the 

 best obtainable and the leads used should be of good length, from 25 to 

 35 feet, as both sides of two rows can then be sprayed at once, and more 

 effectively than when half a tree is sprayed at a time as would be the 

 case with shorter leads. Transportation of the machine, which is an item 

 to be considered, with a heavy power outfit is thus lessened. If the trees 

 are more than fifteen years old an elevated platform on the wagon or 

 tank will probably be necessary in order to thoroughly spray the tops 

 of the trees. 



Cost of spraying varies very much with the conditions and depends 

 on the kind of sprayer, cost of material and lajbor, and the size of the 

 trees. It has cost this year in one of the demonstration orchards in 

 which the trees are 12 years old about 14 cents per tree for three appli- 

 cations of the Bordeiaux mixture and the arsenate of lead. In figuring 

 these results labor is reckoned at 15 cents an hour and the team at $2.50 

 per day. , To this expense already incurred must be added the cost of 

 two more applications of the arsenate of lead, or say oVz cents per tree, 

 making a total cost of about 20 cents per tree for the season, if we allow 

 liberally for the cost of hose and wear and tear on the outfit. Where the 

 Wine Sap apples in this orchard have been left unsprayed the crop will 

 be of absolutely no value. Where they are sprayed three bushels of first- 

 class apples to the tree is a small estimate of the crop. The moral is ob- 

 vious'. What other operation in the apple orchard pays better? 



Mr. Keyser: In regard to these spraying demonstrations, — I wish 

 this society would push this kind of work and do everything possible to 

 forward the interest in it. I have had a little experience in this work, and 

 also in the Farmers' Institutes, and I found that it was hard to get the 

 people sufficiently interested. We told of our experiences and gave all 

 sorts of directions and all the information we could, but I don't suppose 

 there were half a dozen people in all the places where we lectured who 

 tried to spray according to directions. This work that the Government is 

 doing is very good, but unless we get the people interested and tell them 

 what we can do it is not doing near the good that is intended. If we 

 can show the people the practical side of this question of spraying, — what 



