FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 99 



Prof. Taf t : The gentleman I think refers to the one made in Ludington, 

 which pumps air into a cylinder, and under pressure the water is forced 

 out, and I believe if we could get a cylinder that would be air tight, it 

 would be an effectual arrangement. The one I saw seemed to leak. I 

 think in time we shall have something that works, as this does, by horse 

 power. I have used power sprayers working ordinary pumps, and 

 though perhaps no better than hand pumps, I have had good success 

 with the one at the College. As a rule I think it is fully as cheap to use 

 a strong hand pump as to use power pumps. It is possible the com- 

 pressed air will work to advantage; they are also making them to work 

 by steam. 



Q: What about the grape-vine flea beetle? 



Prof. Taft: That is a pretty tough beetle to kill. As a rule if you prac- 

 tice thorough cultivation and there is no waste land around, you will have 

 far less of them. I think it is a good plan to fall plow; then spray in the 

 early spring with arsenites and a good deal of lime; that is about as good 

 a remedy as we have yet. If you put on the Bordeaux mixture with Paris 

 green, you will destroy the mildew, and, slowly, this beetle also. It is a 

 tough insect, and it takes some time to kill it, but if you practice thor- 

 ough cultivation and spray regularly, I think you will have little trouble. 



Mr. Morrill: At Kochester, N. Y., two weeks ago, I heard a novel 

 remedy for this class of insects. A gentleman was troubled with leaf 

 hoppers, etc., and he devised a scheme; he made a frame work, covered 

 it with paper, and manufactured bird lime; he would carry that 

 frame along side a row of grapes, and a man would follow on the other 

 side, with bushes in his hand, with which he kept striking the vines, and 

 they would catch millions in this way in a short .time. He would then 

 smear it over again with the lime, and use it a second time. It is well 

 enough that we understand that, because there is no doubt but there is 

 something in it. 



Mr. Arthur: Ten years ago I tried that same experiment with tar and 

 it worked to perfection. 



Mr. Morrill : This gentleman covered his frame work with canvas, 

 then took brown paper and covered it with bird lime. It was a dark 

 color and they ran right against it. When he had finished with one, he 

 put on another paper, and used it again, and he caught millions. 



Q: Is there any wash you can apply to a tree to keep out the borer and 

 not injure the tree? 



Prof. Taft: I practice washing the trees at the College, for this pur- 

 pose, but as Mr. Morrill gave a caution this morning against the use of 

 washes, I would suggest that if jou use anything dangerous, you try it 

 only on a few trees at first. The wash I use I have found entirely harmles;?, 

 and would feel safe in mentioning. For half a barrel of the material, 

 take perhaps a peck of lime and as large a quantity of wood ashes. 

 We value the lye from the ashes, and they will color the lime so as to 

 take off the white color. You can take ordinary water lime, that serves 

 the same purpose, and it will stick on to the tree better than the lime. 

 After rubbing off the loose bark, put into 25 gallons of water two or even 

 four ounces of Paris green, and if you can be sure of getting the right 

 material I would add a half gill or a gill of the crude carbolic acid. A 

 small quantity — a half gill^ — would be enough for this, and would be per- 

 fectly safe and effectual. 



