1960 



MACHINERY 



MACLEANIA 



lent air-cooled engines on tho market that have pivon 

 ^•e^^• satisfacton' sonico. Tlio ilomaiuls that an' put 

 uiH>n the engine are variable ami I'or this ri'iu^on a (jiioil 

 pivenuir is an inijKirtant aiii in niaintaii\inn a unifcirni 

 pressure ami avoiding luinini^raeinn. It is prolialily for 

 this rejison — i\u>e in governing siieotl — that the liil-and- 

 miss spark is nuioli more eonnnonly vised tlian the jinnp 

 spark. 



The ligiiter and cheaper rigs are frequently made by 

 conneeting an engine of about one horse-power with 

 some one of the more elheient hand-pumps, but on 

 most of the power outfits the pumps are es))ecially 

 designeii for this use and are of large eapaiity. Because 

 of the greater stejuiiness of the disehargi'-i)ressure, tho 

 more unift>nn amotmt of power required from tho 

 engine, :uid their greater caiiacity, the triplex pumps 

 are more generally used than the <hiplex. 



I^^unp and engine are connected in various ways: 

 with some a belt or chain is used, others are connected 

 by gejirs, while still others are directly connected by a 

 shaft in which a imiversal joint is usually placed to 

 avoid trouble should the alignment not be exact. It 

 is always ad\'isable to have them so arranged that the 

 engine can easily be disconnected and u.scd indejjend- 

 ently. It is tniite important tliat pump and engine 

 should be so placed and the pump so designed that all 

 valves are readily accessible and also that the plunger- 

 packing can be reached and replaced quickly. 



Spray-tanks of three sizes are used, 100, 1.50, and 200 

 gallons. Two hundreil gallons of water weigh over 

 1,600 pounds and when this is added to the weight of 

 the rig it frequently becomes imiiossible to haul a 

 loaded sprayer of this size over soft groimd; on the 

 other hand, if the water-supjjly is not readily available, 

 too much time is spent in filling the smaller tanks. 

 The larger number of the more exiicnsive outfits with 

 large-capacity pumps have the largest size of tank and 

 when the ground is too wet only half a tankful is used. 



In spraying orchards on steep hillsides, it sometimes 

 is impossible to use the tower without tipjjing over the 

 rig. To avoid this, some manufacturers put out sprayers 

 with the tank hung low so as to bring the center of 

 gravity down nearer to the axle of the truck. 



A few rigs have been made in which the liquid is 

 placed in an air-tiglit tank that is connected to a cylin- 

 der of compressed carbon dioxide gas, such iis is used 

 in all soda-water fountains. The expansion of the gas 

 entering the liquid-chamber supplies the necessary 

 pressure. These spr.ayers give satisfaction when used 

 with bordeaux mixture but, when used with lime and 

 sulfur to which ha.s been ;ulded arsenate of lead, a 

 chemical action takes place with the ga.s which relea.ses 

 soluble arsenic and thiLs causes serious burning on the 

 foliage sprayed. 



LSorae growers, whose orchards are on steep hillsides 

 and where the land is too rough to take a sprayi^r of 

 the usual weight, have had satisfactory results from 

 the use of compres.sed air. Two metal tanks are 

 mounted on a low two-wheeled truck. One of these 

 is filled with the spray solution and, with a compressor 

 which is mounted at the filling-plat fonii, air is piuiiped 

 into the second tank till a pressvire of :«)() to 400 jioimds 

 is reached. This pressure is then gradually turned into 

 the liquid-tank as the solution is sprayed out. The 

 greatest part of the mat is in the engine and compressor, 

 but if these are u.sed to run several sprayers the final 

 cost Ls not high. There are some mechanical difficulties 

 still to be overcome before these rigs are entirely satis- 

 factory, yet they illustrate a method that has much to 

 commend it. 



Toolx, repair parlg and extras. 



There are few operations on the fann in which the 

 efficiency of the work depends !is much ui)on the time 

 at which it Ls performed as in spraying. This makes it 

 essential that care be taken to prevent loss of time 



through minor troubles. The vahie of time spent in 

 luiiiling for a certain tool to tighten a connection may 

 be sutlicient to buy the tool many times over. The first 

 re(iuiremcnt is a kit of tools consisting of hammer, two 

 wrenches, — one a pipe-wrench, — s(^rew-driver, cold- 

 chisel, and ))liers. A collection of nuts, bolts and 

 washers and a few feet of fine and heavy wire should be 

 added to this. .\ sujiply of durahle ])acking suificient 

 to rci>ack all the ))inn|]-cylinders should be on hand at 

 all times. It is well to have a jiicce of rubber gasket- 

 cloth from which w'ashers and gaskets for unions and 

 other <'onnections can be cut. A sujiply of new nozzles, 

 nozzle-washers and especially nozzle-discs is essential. 

 The breaking of an extension-rod is of such frequent 

 occurrence that it is desirable to have one in reserve for 

 such emergencies. Wherever hose is used an extra 

 length should be carried. 



VVith a jiower rig, the ignition system is usually the 

 cause of most of the trouble. Batteries need to be 

 replaced at least once in a season and, with a jump 

 spark, a new spark-plug is occasionally needed. It 

 seems almost needless to say that a plentiful supply — - 

 and liberal use — of oil and cuji-grease is necessary, yet 

 many machines are injured by lack of this. 



In using a traction-sprayer for different field-crops 

 an<l esi)ecially if the same sprayer is used in the vine- 

 yard, it is frequently desirable to change the arrange- 

 ment of the nozzles. With a hack-saw, file, J^-inch 

 pipe thread-cutters, a few feet of J^-inch pipe and a 

 few couplings, nipples, unions and elbows, this can 

 quickly be done. 



Mixing-platforms, boilers, filling devices. 



In most cases where bordeaux mixture is used, it is 

 made on the farm as it is needed. In such cases the 

 work is simplified by the use of a mixing-platform with 

 the floor high enough so that the liquid can be poured 

 directly into the spray-tank when the rig is driven to 

 the platform. There should be sjxice for at least four 

 barrels. Such a platform should be placed so that 

 water is readily available. If there is no windmill or 

 power-driven pump, the platform should be directly 

 over a well with the pump mounted on the floor. 



A similar platform is very convenient where lime- 

 sulfur is to be made on the farm, using steam for the 

 boiling. The boiler can be placed on the ground or in 

 an adjacent building and the steam piped to each barrel. 

 For this work any boiler may be used which can develop 

 ten or fifteen pounds pressure. 



Wlien lime-sulfur is to be made by direct heat instead 

 of steam, any standard feed-cooker or simply a large 

 iron kettle can be used. When any considerable amount 

 of liquid is to be boiled, it adds greatly to the conven- 

 ience if water can be piped directly to the kettle and if 

 the lime-sulfur can be emptied directly into barrels by 

 a siphon or a discharge-pipe from the boiler. 



It is not uncommon for it to take longer to drive 

 from the orchard to the water-supply, fill the tank and 

 return than it takes to sjjray out the tank. Efficiency 

 in spraying necessitates a convenient water-supply. 

 If the mixing-platfonn is near enough, it can be used as 

 a reservoir from which a tank-load can quickly be 

 secured. Some of the manufacturers are now equipping 

 rigs with either an auxiliary filling-pump or a device 

 working on the principle of the injector and taking the 

 power from the spray-pump. These are very convenient 

 where an elevated supply of water is not possible. 

 Where a nearby water-supply can not be secured it is 

 best to haul the water to the sprayer in tank-wagons 

 or in barrels. R. D. Anthont;-. 



MACBCAyA: Asystasia. 



MACLEANIA (after John Maclean, British merchant 

 at Lima, I'eni, patron of botany). Ericacca-. About 

 a dozen sjiecies of shrubs in the mountains from Mexico 

 to Peru, useful for ornament under ghvss but little 



