MACHINERY 



MACHINERY 



1959 



this factor; also the cost for labor and for materials 

 may be docreiised largely by judieio\is selection of 

 nozzles ;xnd disrliarge-<lisi's. One may thus regulate 

 the anioimt and fineness of the spray according to the 

 size and character of the trees to be sprayed, the outfit 

 used, and the speed of the men who direct the nozzles. 



Spray-hose. 



The ordinary spray-hose is made up of one to seven 

 layers of canvas embedded in rubber. The five- and 

 seven-ply are the best for use with power-pumps but 

 the three-ply may be used with hand-piunps. 



For spraying purposes, it is not advisable to use a 

 hose of more than J-^-inch diameter. The added weight 

 of the larger sizes makes them too awkward to use. For 

 the trailing hose on a power-rig one of ^g-inch diameter 

 is best, but for the hand-pump the J 2-inch size should 

 be used because the loss of power through friction is 

 less in the larger size. 



Wien one expects to use trailers, and this should 

 always be the plan in the apple orchard, the trailing 

 hose should be long enough so that the tower-man can 

 spray one tree while the trailer is finishing another. 

 Fifty feet is the usual length for the apple orchard. 



The couplings are the parts to which the hose is 

 attached and which screw into the spray-rod and to 

 the discharge - pipe of the pimip. Improperly con- 

 structed couplings may cause considerable annoyance 

 by permitting the hose to pull off. The shank over 

 which the hose slips should be long enough so that two 

 hose-bands may be used to clamp the hose upon it. 

 The holding power of the shank is increased if the 

 surface is ridged. 



Additional equipment for orchard-spraying. 



With most of the spray-nozzles now in use, it is 

 necessarj' to bring the nozzle witliin 3 or 4 feet of the 

 branch to be sprayed, or at least to raise it as high as 

 the branch and let the spray drift with the wind. The 

 use of extension spray-rods is a great help in this. The 

 rod usually consists of a bamboo cane with an iron or 

 aluminum core. The iron core is stronger and cheaper 

 but because of its greater weight it is not so desirable 

 as the aluminum, especially for the longer rods. An 

 8-foot rod is usually long enough for peaches, pears, and 

 low-headed apples, but in many of the older orchards 

 in New York and New England the 10 and 12-foot rods 

 must be used. 



With most of the sprays and especially so with the 

 first codlin-moth spray, it is desirable to drive the 

 liquid down on the tree with one of the rods. To do 

 this it is necessary that one man be placed in a tower 

 which is built over the pump or water-tank. The 

 height of the tower depends upon the height of the 

 trees to be sprayed. Usually the tower floor is from 5 

 to 7 feet above the hubs. If a high tower is put on a 

 light rig there is danger of tipping over on rough ground. 

 Many towers are now built with an iron framework 

 and some of these fold back upon the tank when not 

 in use. See pages 10.57-1060; also page 129.5. 



The orchard spray rig usually carries from 100 to 

 200 gallons of spray solution. Various types of tanks 

 are used for this purpose. The usual one is a half- 

 round tank with the rounded part resting on the 

 trucks; round tanks standing on end, and metal tanks 

 are also used. For temporarj' use in a cheap rig, two 

 fifty-gallon oil-barrels can be used. 



Slost of the spray mixtures contain matter in sus- 

 pension and so some means of agitating the liquid is 

 necessary. A common method is to place two paddles 

 so that they will swing hack and forth just over the 

 bottom of the tank and cormect them by a rod to the 

 handle of the spray-pump. In some power-sprayers a 

 shaft is run through the tank and two propellers are 

 placed at opposite ends, each driving the liquid toward 

 the center. 



Types of spray-rigs. 



The use of the hand-pump is confined to the garden, 

 to young trees and small orchards. It is possible to 

 spray 4 or .5 acres of mature apple trees with a hand-rig 

 and do the work well, provided an efficient pump is 

 used, but with such rigs it is usually necessary to use 

 one more man than with power-rigs and to go somewhat 

 slower. If a careful estimate of the relative costs were 

 made before the hand-pump is abandoned for the power- 

 rig, many would still continue to use the slower method 

 and, even when a power-pump is purchased, the hand- 

 pump should be kept in good condition to use in 

 emergencies and when the ground is too soft for the 

 heavier outfit. 



If only a few bushes are to be sprayed, one-quart 

 syringes, costing less than a dollar, can be secured. 

 These work on the princijjle of the atomizer. For the 

 garden and a few trees, bucket-pumps are satisfactory 

 and inexpensive though it usually requires two men to 

 use one. Some very satisfactory one-man pumps are 

 now manufactured on the same principle as that used 

 in the pressure-tank of the larger pumjjs. An air-tight 

 tank, holding several gallons, is half filled with the 

 spray mixture and the remaining air is compressed by 

 an air-pump till the desired pressure is obtained. 



The barrel-pump is the commonest form of hand- 

 pump. Its popularity is due to its being cheap, com- 

 pact, sold ready to use, and having sufficient capacity 

 for tihe small home-orchard. On the other hand, the 

 up-and-down motion of the handle is very tiring and 

 high pressures can not be maintained for any length 

 of time. 



Separate pumps, mounted on a low base and operated 

 by the back-and-forth movement of a long, upright 

 handle are much easier to use and will develop a very 

 satisfactory pressure. Such a pump, either with two 

 cylinders or double-acting, will run four low-pressure 

 nozzles and, by using one or two barrels for the spray- 

 tank, an efficient outfit can be provided at a reasonable 

 cost. 



The traction-pump may be driven by the rotation of 

 the a,xle for field-spraying, for the vineyard, the bush- 

 fruit plantation, or for young trees where it is possible 

 to keep the rig moving most of the time, but it is not 

 possible to secure sufficient power in this way to spray 

 large trees. The greatest trouble with many of the rigs 

 of this type which have been on the market has been 

 that they were too complicated and, therefore, trouble- 

 some to use, and costly. The present tendency is to 

 make rigs which are much simpler. ITsually a good 

 type of hand-pump is used and is connected to the axle 

 by means of a puni]>jack or gearing. It is necessary to 

 have a large-size pressure-tank in order to keep a uni- 

 form spray. 



When the traction-sprayer is used for field-crops and 

 occasionally in the vineyard-spraying, the nozzles are 

 attached to an adjustable spray-boom. When such a 

 boom is used, care should be taken to see that the 

 sjjrays from adjacent nozzles overlap before reaching 

 the plants to be sprayed. 



Gas-engine rigs are for the large commercial orchard. 

 If the engine is to be used to run the spray-pump only, 

 it does not need to be over two and one-half horse- 

 power and many engines are in use which develop but a 

 single horse-power. Some of the rigs which are planned 

 to nm saws and grinders have as high a.s three and one- 

 half horse-power but this greatly increases the weight. 



Simplicity of construction is one of the most desirable 

 features, as it means less trouble in running and fewer 

 parts to wear out. .\ certain degree of lightness is also 

 desirable, provided it is not secured by a sacrifice of 

 needed strength. Heavy, cast bases are entirely 

 unnecessary as the desired stability can be secured by 

 lighter angle-irons. Most power rigs have a water- 

 cooled engine and the consensus of opinion seems to 

 favor this tyjM'. There are, however, one or two excel- 



