18 



Testing Bordeaux Mixture. 



When Bordeaux mixture is properly prepared it is of a brilliant sky-blue color 

 If the lime is air slaked or otherwise inferior in quality, resulting in a bad mixture, 

 the preparation will have a greenish cast, and if this is very pronounced the mixture 

 will injure the foliage. 



In order to make certain that the copper sulphate is properly neutralized by the 

 lime, the yellow prussiate of potash test may be used. A small bottle containing a 

 10 i^er cent solution of yellow prussiate of potash can be secured from a druggist. 

 After stirring the Bordeaux mixture, a drop of this solution is allowed to fall on the 

 surface of the preparation. If free copper is present, the drop will immediately turn 

 reddish-brown in color. Lime should, then be added until the brown color fails to 

 appear. If the reaction is complete, the yellow prussiate of potash solution will 

 remain a clear yellow until it disappears in the mixture. 



SPRAYING. 



TYPES OF SPRAY 

 OUTFITS. 



The barrel pump. — No 

 type of spraying outfit is 

 more widely used or has 

 given better satisfaction 

 in small or medium-sized 

 commercial plantations 

 than the barrel pump ( fig. 

 6.) A great many differ- 

 ent forms are now sup- 

 plied by the makers of 

 spray pumps, and a num- 

 ber of them are efficient 

 and successful. They are 

 mounted in a great vari- 

 ety of ways. An or- 

 dinary 50-gallon whisky 

 or kerosene barrel forms 

 an excellent and inex- 

 pensive tank for holding 

 the spra)'. The pump, 

 according to its design, 

 can be inserted in the end or the side of the barrel. The barrel may then be 

 mounted to suit the operator on a sled or on two wheels, or it may be placed in 

 a cart or wagon. A small sled can be made in a few minutes by spiking some plank 

 across a couple of pieces 2 by 4 inches, or, better, 3 by 4 inches, with the ends 

 rounded to serve as runners. Such an outfit can be drawn through narrow rows of 

 vegetables or other crops, where a wagon could not go. The ordinary 2-wheeled 

 cart makes a very convenient rig to use with the barrel spra3'er. One man can 

 easily drive the cart and pump while one or two additional hands can apply the 

 spray from the ground. 



The tank outfi.t. — Various forms of tanks can be mounted on a two-horse wagon 

 and thus enable a larger quantity of spray to be carried into the field. These tanks 

 are sometimes square or rectangular. Some orchardists prefer to mount a large 

 hogshead, either end up or on its side, and to pump the spray from that. As a rule, 

 hoM^ever, the best style is either a rectangular tank or a half-round tank, flat on top. 



247 



Fig. 6. — Barrel spray puiui>. 



