April, '10] SYMONS: INSPECTION AND SPRAYING 239 



Public Sprayers 



In the course of our work in Maryland for the control of the San 

 Jose scale, we found great need of public spraying outfits in various 

 parts of the state, especially in localities where fruit trees are grown 

 by the farmers for home use only, and around our cities, towns and 

 villages, where a few trees only are grown by suburbanites for the 

 same purpose. Among tliis class of people there is not sufficient inter- 

 est at stake, ordinarily, to justify their procuring spraying apparatus 

 with which to properly treat a half dozen or so trees, but they are 

 usually eager to have their trees healthful and willingly erhploy a 

 public spraying outfit to treat such trees effectively. 



It is not an uncommon occurrence to observe every fruit tree grow- 

 ing in some towns or villages badly infested with the scale. In order 

 to aid this class of growers by furnishing means whereby they can 

 have their trees treated and to demonstrate the field for a successful 

 business to the end of inducing private parties to take up the work, 

 our department has conducted public sprayers in different parts of 

 Maryland for the past two years. The past season, twenty-five outfits 

 were operated. A responsible man was secured to superintend each 

 outfit. The spraying w^as conducted on a basis of cost of operation 

 and not with any desire to make a profit for the department. The 

 past season, the concentrated Lime Sulfur Solutions were used, which 

 greatly facilitated the w'ork. 



The venture has been a great success in our state. In each locality 

 Iwhere an oufit was operated, there has been more work than could 

 be accomplished prior to the opening of the buds in the spring. This 

 year, two of the outfits continued operations by spraying for the con- 

 trol of the Codling Moth. 



Aside from offering immediate relief in saving fruit trees that 

 would otherwise have been killed by the San Jose scale, the inaugura- 

 tion of this work has accomplished in many instances the principal 

 object for which the work was undertaken. It has shown that there is 

 an opportunity for such a business which will give a reasonable profit 

 where properly conducted. As a result there are many private parties 

 who will conduct public sprayers in Maryland during this coming- 

 season ; in fact there are some who have done considerable work this 

 fall. 



I believe that we, as inspectors and professional men, should aim 

 to develop means whereby our recommendations can be most effectively 

 put into practice. There is no doubt that the operation of public 

 sprayers and the conducting of public spraying demonstrations on the 



