Vegetables and Their Sprays 



, Prol. E. M. Straight 



WHAT is new in sprays? Not consistency of cream and of a Hgfht blue Canadian Horticulturist. Any person 

 much, and yet everything is color. It was then applied to the vines seeing the plots could not fail to Ix; con- 

 new. We sometimes fail to by means of brooms. The design was vinccd that Bordeaux was the proper 

 realize the newness of spray science! to apply enough of the mixture to each spray for potatoes. Lime-sulphur for 

 During the past year, despite our eager- vine to give it the appearance of being potatoes was much worse than no spray, 

 ness for that which is new, we have well poisoned. The vines thus treated The yields told the same story as .seen 

 found little, actually belonging to the were the ones that retained their foli- by the illustrations. Hetween paris 

 year, upon which the stamp of genuine age, while the vines further removed green and arsenate of lead for potatoes, 

 worth may be placed. from the road lost their leaves. This we have little choice. Paris green is 

 Bordeaux mixture and paris green, was the beginning of the Bordeaux mix- cheaper and is the poison we use and re- 

 thc oldest of our spray compounds, date ture." commend in our work, 

 back only a few years. True there were The currant worm in the east and the A great deal of exact and interesting 

 spray mixtures before that time, and for potato beetle in the west made the ne- work has been done by the experiment 

 some of these, remarkable properties cessity for paris green, or something station, Storrs, Connecticut, in the 

 were claimed ; but they were poorly like it, imperative. To whom the honor spraying of cucumbers and melons. The 

 adapted to the purpose for which they of first using paris green belongs is not table shows the result with cucumbers, 

 were designed. For example: Hemery, known It made its appearance some- Melons gave similar results, so that the 

 a PVench nurseryman, made a com- where . between i860 and 1870. Its use figures may be taken as an example of 

 pound which was intended to kill mil- as a standard insecticide began in the spraying vine crops, 

 dew on peaches. It was made as fol- western states. . Applications of paris yield OF OUOUMBEBa 

 lows: green, mixed with water, do not appear „ ,>,. Commercial 



«... ,1 , , ■ , n r Self boiled Lune- 



Aconite branches and to have been made during the first few Date of Bordeaux Lime- Snlphur 



tubercules i kilogram years following the introduction of the j^Y/*^'"^' 'numm^^lt' ^"i^""' ^m^ 



Water 4 liters poison. It is thus seen that the intro- " 14 97 187 m 129 



Pigeon dung 25 liters duction of spray mixtures and their use ■' a I60 3n 112 25 



Urine i hectolier are of recent date. " 25 281 410 91 



Again, that of Mr. Yates of Albany, vegetable sprays Aug. ^2 m m ** 



N.Y. : The spraying of vegetables is even ,',' ^ ^-^ 1214 



Wormwood i handful newer than the spraying of the orchard " 13 L807 679 



Rue I handful or vineyard. After much experience in '.'. ^ J-®^ ^^ 



Virginia tobacco 2 handfuls different parts of the country we are " 27 l!3l6 



Water 2 pailfuls forced to admit, barring the potato, ^'rP*'- 5 ^ 



Such mixtures as these were abund- vegetables are little sprayed — much less " i" ^ 



ant enough, but it was not until 1885 than is supposed by the experiment sta- 13.115 5960 686 "276 



that there appeared unmistakable evi- tion. We are learning, however, that The conclusions arrived at by the sta- 



dence, based upon experiment, that a quality counts, and that the spraying of tion are as follow : 



substance had been found which was vegetables is a factor which may not i . Bordeaux mixture is the best 



a specific against the grape mildew and be neglected if quality is to be secured. remedy for the spraying of melons and 



other fungous diseases. Paris green and Bordeaux mixture cucumbers, but it will not completely 



The following from Dr. Lodeman is still form a combination not surpassed control the common diseases of cucum- 



of especial interest: "In south-western as an insecticide and fungicide in the bers and melons. 



France, in the maritime department of vegetable world. Paris green has one 2. In seasons favorable to the spread 



Gironde. is situated the city of Bor- competitor in arsenate of lead, and bor- of the disease plants that have received 



deaux. It lies near the western border deaux mixture and paris green or three or four applications of bordeaux 



of a large horticultural district of which arsenate of lead are the great weapons mixture may be kept alive and in a pro- 



the grape is by far the most important the gardener has in his fight against ductive condition from two to three 



fruit. It is here that the downy mildew insect pests and fungous diseases. With weeks longer than unsprayed plants, 



of America first made its appearance in these he is able to wage effective war- 3. In seasons when the disease is not 



Europe, probably in 1878, and here also fare. troublesome, or when it appears late in 



it became most severe. It was noticed Nothing that we have here said is the season, unsprayed plants are usually 



that a few vines escaped the general meant to throw discredit on the use of more productive than those that have 



attack. These were situated along the lime-sulphur in the apple-orchard. There been sprayed with Bordeaux, 



highways. It was also noticed in the it has a place and is destined to replace 4. Bordeaux mixture applied to cu- 



autumn of 1882 that certain vines re- other fungicides; but even we believe cumlx;rs has an injurious effect upon the 



tained their foliage in an almost perfect that bordeaux mixture is the better foliage. Applied to melons, the injury 



condition. Vineyards in these localities fungicide. It is because of the insecti- is chiefly to the foliage, but seems to 



had suffered considerable loss from the cidal value of lime-sulphur and because retard the maturing of the fruit, 



stealing of grapes by children and tra- there is less danger of spotting the fruit 5. Strong Bordeaux is more effective 



vellers. It had formerly been the custom when used as compared with bordeaux in keeping the disease in check than 



to sprinkle verdigris upon a few rows of mixrture, that lime-sulphur 'is coming weak Bordeaux. As might be expected, 



the vines nearest the road, for the pur- into common use. In the vegetable it also causes greater injury to the 



pose of giving the fruit the appearance world however, lime-sulphur has little plants. Half-strength Bordeaux causes 



of being poisoned. Several years be- or nothing to recommend it. less injury than the full strength mix- 



for the the appearance of the mildew, best spray for potatoes ture. 



this substance was replaced by a mix- Our experiments with the various 6. Spraying with a very fine spray 



ture of the milk of lime and some salt sprays on potatoes at Macdonald Col- and avoiding the formation of puddles 



of copper. The mixture was of the lege have already been reported in The on the foliage gives the best results. 



36 



