76 ORCHARD CATERPILLARS. 



beintj, or have recently been, sprayed, for fear of injury from feeding on 

 grass on which there may have been drip. We give no opening for 

 possibility of mischief occurring from this cause where our advice is 

 followed ; but (having noted this duly) there is no harm in mentioning 

 here that where the fine spraying is properly carried on, it is at least 

 open to doubt whether any risk in the above way is incurred." 



After mentioning the troubles above noted under the heads of 

 Difficulties 1,2, and 3, my correspondent further noted an experience 

 of damage to some trees of his own in a case where he had himself 

 carefully arranged the mixture to be of the right strength, but, being 

 called away by business, had left the application to his man. The 

 results showed that the injury arose from the mixture having been 

 applied too freely ; and in other instances from the settling of the 

 Paris-green at the bottom of the vessel. Nevertheless, my corre- 

 spondent closed his report with the following remark, and certainly he 

 is eminently qualified in all ways to offer a trustworthy opinion : — 

 " Amidst all these discouragements, I am still regarding the Paris- 

 green as being ultimately the most efficient remedy." 



With regard to different kinds of spraying machines, instead of there 

 being now the difficulties that there were at the beginning of our work, 

 m procuring some useful form, so many kinds are now adapted to 

 various requirements that purchasers may select accordingly. But 

 amongst these, for use on fruit bushes, or on low trees, the kind 

 which is named to me as the most approved, is the Eclair knapsack 

 sprayer. This is a can which may be carried on a man's back, and by 

 means of a hose the spray may be delivered to a height of about 

 fifteen feet.* One great recommendation of this spraying machine is 

 that with it the bearer can pass to and fro amongst bushes or low trees, 

 where no wheeled machine is applicable. The drawback is that without 

 some care (as the Paris-green settles at the bottom of the can) it is 

 liable to accumulate there, and consequently the sprayings from the 

 lowest part of the mixture be so very much too strong that great injury 

 may be caused to the leafage. This should be looked to at each 

 successive filling, and the sediment, if more than just a trifling 

 amount, emptied out. Otherwise the spraying mixture will be by just 

 this amount stronger than it ought to be. Also, if the Paris-green 

 mixture has stood for a while in this upright form of can, it should be 

 well stirred up before continuing spraying. 



Another kind of sprayer which was found very serviceable last 

 year was an ordinary garden engine, with the form of sprayer known 

 as '• Stott's nozzle" fitted to it by a piece of hose and a tap union. A 



* This Eclair knapsack sprayer is procurable from Messrs. Charles Clark & Co., 

 Windsor Chambers, Great iSt. Helen's, London, E.G., price lius,, packed and 

 delivered at any railway station. 



