SPRAYING FOR CONTROL OF PEACH BROWN-ROT AND SCAB. 15 



During 1909, in order to place the treatment on a better commercial 

 basis, large blocks of several different varieties, comprising over 5,000 

 trees, were sprayed. This was more in the nature of a demonstration 

 than an experiment, although some features of the work were purely 

 experimental, as will be seen in the following pages. In addition 

 to this block, about 7,000 trees in the same orchard were sprayed 

 by the owner under the supervision of the writers. 



The work was conducted in the orchard of the Hale Georgia 

 Orchard Company, at Fort Valley, Ga., and the writers are indebted 

 to Mr. J. H. Hale, president of the company, and Mr. J. H. Baird, 

 its superintendent, for their hearty cooperation and valuable assist- 

 ance. This orchard was in good condition, having been well cul- 

 tivated, fertilized, and pruned, but in recent years the brown-rot 

 had become exceedingly bad. The crop of 1908 was largely lost 

 on account of brown-rot, scab, and curculio, and the conditions were 

 particularly favorable for a severe test of the self-boiled lime-sulphur 

 treatment. Unfortunately, however, in this orchard, as in most 

 of the Georgia orchards the past season, the crop was very light for 

 all varieties and the yield per tree quite low, but the value of spraying 

 was, nevertheless, strikingly demonstrated. 



The spraying was done with a power outfit consisting of a 2-horse- 

 power gasoline engine, a triplex pump, a 200-gallon tank, a propeller 

 agitator, two 25-foot leads of discharge hose, Vermorel nozzles, etc. 

 The mixture was prepared according to the following formula and 

 directions. 



PREPARATION OF SELF-BOILED LIME-SULPHUR MIXTURE. 



The mixture used in our experiments during the past season was 

 composed of S pounds of fresh stone lime and 8 pounds of sulphur 

 (either flowers or flour may be used) to 50 gallons of water. This 

 appears to be about the correct strength, although in mild cases of 

 scab and brown-rot a weaker mixture, containing 6 pounds of each 

 ingredient to 50 gallons of water, may be used with satisfactory 

 results. The mixture can best be prepared in rather large quantities — 

 say, enough for 200 gallons at a time, making the formula 32 pounds 

 of lime and 32 pounds of sulphur, to be cooked with a small quantity 

 of water (8 or 10 gallon^) and then diluted to 200 gallons. 



The lime should be placed in a barrel and enough water poured on 

 to almost cover it. As soon as the lime begins to slake the sulphur 

 should be added after first running it through a sieve to break up the 

 lumps. The mixture should be constantly stirred and more water 

 added as needed to form a thick paste at first and then gradually a 

 thin paste. The lime will supply enough heat to boil the mixture 

 several minutes. As soon as it is well slaked, water should be added 



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