HOW TO GROW AND MARKET FRUIT 



platform about ten feet from the ground, will help in reaching 

 the high limbs. Light draft is an important consideration, 

 and both weight and wheels influence this. 



Pumps and engines with several cylinders are better than 

 those with but one cylinder, although the majority of power 

 sprayers good ones too rely on one -cylinder engines and 

 pumps. Whatever the size, from knapsack to six-hundred-gal- 

 lon, twenty-five-horse-power sprayers, insist on strong, durable 

 construction. Pump valves should be of brass, or better, of 

 bronze, and tanks usually should be of steel. Wood is good, 

 but too heavy. Other passible materials will be corroded by the 

 chemicals in a season or two. Bordeaux is harder on steel than 

 lime, but is used less. 



What is known as the central charging system has a pumping 

 and mixing plant, and a dozen or more compression tanks. 

 These tanks are nearly filled with spray mixture, and, after 

 charging, several tanks can be hauled to the orchard, where 

 one is loaded on a light spraying wagon, hose and nozzles 

 attached, and the spraying done from stored-up pressure. This 

 system saves much time in a large orchard. The spraying crew 

 keeps right at work all the time. The cost of installing such a 

 plant is about $2,500, including central engine and pump, and 

 tanks. 



When buying a sprayer of any size, get the catalogues of the 

 makers who advertise in farm and fruit magazines and books. 

 There is a wealth of education in these. By studying the situa- 

 tion in the catalogues and by writing to makers, you can select 

 intelligently that which suits you best. But do not buy a pump 

 that is too small, and do insist on getting one that will do good 

 work at the start and for ten years or more. Better stick to 

 the kinds known to be reliable. 



There are many different kinds of nozzles. Your sprayer 

 will be fully equipped with necessary attachments when it 

 comes from the manufacturers, and experience will teach the 

 need of additional nozzles, hose, extensions that may be used 

 for easiest work. Clogging of nozzles is a great trouble. Some 

 nozzles deliver the spray more effectively than others that 

 is, so it will reach farther and will spread better over leaves 

 and bark. You will need plenty of nozzles, so you can change 

 quickly for a different mixture or on account of accidents. 



The directions here tell pretty plainly what mixture to use 

 for each purpose, but you must become familiar with handling 

 the chemicals themselves before you will be able to use materials 

 most quickly, cheaply and efficiently. Beginners always will 

 do well to buy and use reliable commercial sprays, at least 

 until they better understand everything about killing "bugs." 



Many orchardists who have large numbers of trees depend 

 wholly on some of the excellent prepared mixtures supplied by 

 responsible chemical makers. For less than fifty or a hundred 

 trees, it is often cheaper in any case to buy ready-mixed spray 

 materials than to mix them at home. The great advantage of 

 dependable commercial sprays is that the materials are pure, 

 are properly combined, and that you are given specified direc- 



80 



