202 THE SPRAYING CAMPAIGN 



after the blossoms fall and that one before the buds swell ; and 

 then as he attempts to select a satisfactory spraying outfit from 

 the bewildering array in even one catalogue (and usually he has 

 half a dozen catalogues at the very least), it is no wonder that 

 he feels as though it was a hopeless undertaking. And yet as 

 he sifts matters out he finds that most of the spraying outfits are 

 a good deal alike, and that most of the pests are accommodating 

 enough to group themselves in such a way that a relatively few 

 sprayings will control them all. So that w^hile spraying is un- 

 doubtedly bad enough, and while the necessity for it may 

 properly be catalogued as one reason why the orchard business 

 will not be over-done, yet any good, intelligent man will very 

 soon master the essential details of the work. 



Good spraying consists in selecting the right materials, in 

 getting these onto the trees at the right time, applying a uniform 

 strength to all parts of the trees and in doing the work easily 

 and economically and with reasonable comfort. 



Making up and Applying. — We have already discussed 

 everything except the work of making up and applying. Let 

 us see what can be said to assist in this operation. 



In the first place, the orchardist should have every con- 

 venience to make as easy as possible the work of preparing the 

 mixtures and getting them into the spray tank. Few people 

 realize how much time and money are wasted by failing to 

 provide for this. To begin with, have a platform sufficiently 

 raised to allow the materials to run by gravity into the spray 

 tank. On this platform are located the stock solutions and 

 other paraphernalia used in the mixing. Know just where to 

 find everything that is wanted, instead of having to hunt all 

 over the place for the arsenate of lead or the strainer. A very 

 convenient outfit of the kind is shown in Figure 82. Then have 

 a convenient and abundant water supply. It is nothing un- 

 common for a spraying gang to spend more than half the time 

 loading up, and most of this is often spent in getting the water. 

 Sometimes this is unavoidable, but frequently a little time and 

 money spent wisely in advance will completely obviate the 

 trouble. To offset the money so spent it must be remembered 



