TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL, MEETING. 73 



convinced that if " he who makes two blades of grass to grow where but 

 one grew before " is entitled to the world's blessing, he that sprays wisely 

 and well is " greater than he that taketh a city." 



OTHER MEN'S VIEWS OP THE SUBJECT. 



Mr. Bird: There seem to be different ways of making the Bordeaux 

 mixture. Some pour in the lime and some strain it. 



Mr. Stearns: Probably 100 or 1,000 persons will spray next season to 

 one who did so this year. The best results will be to those who " get 

 there first." The most important point is to be early about it. Pulveriz- 

 ing the lime facilities the slaking and mixing, and hot water on the sul- 

 phate of copper acts quicker than cold; and it is best to strain the lime 

 water through burlaps or other coarse fabric, or trouble will be had with 

 it in the pump. Care must be taken to keep the pump clean. I hare 

 used Mr. Stahl's formula, but four pounds of sulphate of copper is enough 

 — some of the bulletins say so, and that is my opinion. 



Mr. W. A. Taylor: The board of health of New York city condemned 

 a lot of grapes last fall because of the appearance of copper stains on the 

 stems, and their action for some time hurt the sale of all grapes. An 

 agent of the agricultural department found that the condemned grapes 

 were grown by a farmer who had sprayed every week and used a broom 

 with which to throw the liquid. The condemned grapes were dangerous; 

 but when the correct formula is used, a man would have to eat three tons 

 of grapes before he could receive enough to endanger his health. There 

 is no danger whatever, but much less copper may be used. At Charlottes- 

 ville, Va., a solution of only two to three pounds was highly successful, 

 even where there was much disease. 



Mr. McArdle asked Prof. Taft if kerosene oil could not be used in 

 some way to kill squash bugs; and was told it would scarcely be posssible 

 to make a mixture of oil strong enough to kill the bugs and not also kill 

 the vines. 



Mr. Bird: I have tried kerosene oil for this purpose and was success- 

 ful; but it was hard to say which was deadest, vines or bugs. 



Mr. Stearns : There is no danger of injury of foliage from use of the 

 Bordeaux mixture, but care must be exercised with the arsenites. I 

 would not use arsenic upon pear or plum trees, except with Bordeaux 

 mixture, one pound of Paris green to 300 gallons of the mixture. Using this, 

 my plums did not rot while those of others, not so treated, did rot. I 

 sprayed my plum trees before the leaves opened, and immediately after 

 their opening, and at succeeding times, once each week or ten days. I 

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