112 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN 



The type of spraying machine to buy depends upon the 

 amount and kind of spraying to be done. For the very 

 small garden there is a little brass hand pump that does 

 practical work. With a suitable nozzle, a bucket pump 

 may be used in the small home garden. For the average 

 garden a compressed-air sprayer will be found most con- 

 venient. The knapsack type is preferred by some; but the 

 air-tank type has the advantage of leaving both hands free. 



Do the Work on a Warm Day 



When many trees have to be taken care of a barrel 

 sprayer is the one to get, if horse and wagon are available. 

 Otherwise a hand sprayer of the new wheelbarrow type, 

 which has large capacity and can be moved easily from 

 place to place, will be found the thing. You should have 

 two or three types of nozzles for the different kinds of 

 spraying you will have to do, and an extension pole of 

 suitable length for the fruit trees. 



A few points about spraying must be kept in mind: Be 

 sure that you have the spray adapted to the particular 

 thing you are trying to fight; be sure that the material is 

 right for the conditions you have to meet kerosene emul- 

 sion or lime-sulphur that would be right to use in winter 

 might be strong enough to ruin your trees in summer. If 

 possible do the work on a fairly warm day, when little or 

 no wind is blowing, though you must not delay the spray- 

 ing to be given just before the blossoms open and just 

 after they fall. Spraying when the blossoms are open is 

 usually undesirable. There are a few days after the petals 

 fall before the calyx of the forming fruit closes; to be effect- 

 ive, spraying must be done while the material has access 

 to the inner 'part of the calyx, and while the forming fruits 

 are still turned upward. If the calyx has begun to close, 

 'the eggs or young worms, especially of the codling moth, 

 will be protected from the spray. Sprays like Bordeaux 

 mixture are efficient only when all foliage and stems are 

 kept coated with the mixture; therefore it must be applied 



