iThe Canadian Horticultun^ 



lol. XXXIX 



PETEKBORO. JULY, 1916 



No. 7 



The Dust Spray Under Test in Ontario 



THE reports of the success which 

 has attended the use of the "dust 

 spray" in New York State re- 

 !ilt€d, this year, in a number of tliese 

 lachines being introduced into On- 

 tario. One is under test also by the 

 Dominion Government in Nova Scotia. 

 While it is still too early for it to be 

 determined how effective this spray has 

 proved the following reports on the use 

 of two of these machines should prove 

 of interest. 



Prof. L. Caesar, provincial entomolo- 

 i;ist, who has ^been testing these ma- 

 !■ bines for the Ontario Department of 

 Atrrieulture, writes: It would be un- 

 \\ i.se at present to express any opinion 

 1)11 the efFeetivene.ss of the so-called 

 "dust spray" as a means of controlling 

 insect pests and fungus diseases of 'or- 

 chaitls. There are at least half a dozen 

 men in Ontario experimenting with this 

 new method of spraying this year. Mr. 

 W. F. Kydd and I are also each con- 

 (luciting a series of experiments. The 

 season already shows that fungus dis- 

 eases will be very bad in unsprayed 

 orchards in at least a considerable part 



of the province and probably in all of 

 it, thus affording a good opportunity 

 to test the merits of this new method of 

 spraying. I, therefore, hope to have 

 much reliaible data available for a re- 

 port at the Fruit Growers' Convention 

 next autumn. There are a few things 

 that we may briefly refer to now and 

 that may be interesting: 



(1) The dust spra.v is certainly much 

 more rapid for large trees than the old 

 method. 1 have not got my notes by 

 me as I write, ibut I am safe in saying 

 that I can do about as many acres of 

 large trees in two hours with one of the 

 large dusting outfits as I can do with 

 the best power spraj'er for liquid sprays 

 in two days, that is, if the work is done 

 with equal thoroughness in each case. 

 Of course on small trees there is not 

 nearly so great an advantage in time 

 saving as on large ones, though there 

 is considerable there too. 



(2) The dust machine requires only 

 two men to operate it, compared with 

 three for the liquid spray outfits. 



(3) The fear that some held of dan- 

 ger to the operator from inhaling the 



dusit is not justified, unless, of course, 

 one is foolish enough to try to spi-ay 

 against the wind. Goggles should be 

 used, automobile goggles being, in ray 

 opinion, the best kind, as they enclose 

 the eyes better than any others I have 

 seen. 



(4) The spraying should preferably, 

 in most oases at least, be done on a 

 calm da3' and at right angles to any 

 little breeze there may be, so that one 

 may go up one side of the row and down 

 the other, finishing everything up as 

 he goes. If calm weather does not oc- 

 cur when Avanted it is, in my opin- 

 ion, better not to wait but to .spray with 

 the wind and do the other side either 

 when the wind changes or the first 

 calm morning or evening that occurs. 

 It is impossible to spray very high 

 trees in a strong wind. 



(5) It requires nearly as much care 

 to do a really thorough job with the 

 dust spray as with the liquid. The very 

 ibest iman on the place should do the 

 work, and he will find that he has to 

 use both his brains and his hands as 



'M ever female lielp h:i.s liad to be used thi.s year in KatlieriiiK the "tni.wberry crop. .V scene in Uie Niagara iJistrict. (I'hoto .■sent bv 



F. S. Beeves.) 



