SPRAYING 145 



Small hose, about half an inch in diameter, is better 

 than larger and heavier sizes. 



Rods for directing the nozzles are always re- 

 quired. The best rods are of bamboo, and may be 

 bought in various lengths from the purveyors of 

 spray machinery. Four feet is long enough for 

 young trees, but 6 or 8 feet will be required on 

 trees of bearing size. 



Every outfit must also include a strainer. The 

 strainer should be large and fitted with copper wire, 

 20 meshes to the inch. 



SPRAY SOLUTIONS 



A great many fungicides and insecticides have been 

 introduced and tested in the last few years. Many 

 of these have good qualities, while a few are practi- 

 cally worthless. For use on peach trees, however, 

 we may settle down pretty comfortably to three 

 sprays; viz., soluble oil, lime-sulphur and Bordeaux 

 mixture. Even the Bordeaux mixture is now largely 

 abandoned by many of the best growers, who have 

 substituted for it the self-boiled lime-sulphur spray. 



There are various ways of making up the lime- 

 sulphur mixture. The proportions of the ingredi- 

 ents vary more or less with different workers. The 

 following formula is fully tested and has been found 

 satisfactory : 



16 pounds unslaked lime, 

 16 pounds flowers of sulphur, 

 50 gallons water. 



In small quantities this mixture can be most easily 

 prepared in a large iron kettle, such as is used for 

 cooking food for hogs. To make up the full recipe 

 as given a 50-gallon kettle is necessary. Such an 



