REASONS OF FAILURE IN SPRAYING. 



BY JOHN B. PETTIT, FRUITLAND, ONT. 



THE display of sprayed and unsprayed 

 apples that was put on exhibition at 

 the Toronto Industrial Fair by Mr. 

 W. M. Orr, Superintendent of spray- 

 ing experiments for the Province of On- 

 tario, could not be anything but a most 

 excellent educator to the agriculturists 

 of the Province and more especially to 

 those being engaged in fruit growing. 

 While there were thousands who appre- 

 ciated it as such, there were many, who 

 claimed to be up-to-date fruit growers, 

 declared that it was not an honest ex- 

 hibit and that they had personally proved 

 the art of spraying to be a failure. While 

 we do not mean to say that all who have 

 carried on the work have experienced 

 benefit therefrom, it is almost unneces- 

 sary to state that the reason of this is 

 not because there is no efficacy in the 

 work, but that the work has not been 

 properly carried on. 



There are several reasons why spray- 

 ing has proved a failure in some instances 

 in the past, the principal ones being : — 

 (a) The use of wrong mixtures ; (b) 

 uneven distribution ; (c) applications 

 made at improper time ; (d) lack of 

 thoroughness in work. 



In the various papers that have in 

 the past devoted space to the subject 

 of horticulture, there have been many 

 formulas printed, some being correct, 

 while others again have been decidedly 

 wrong. When we consider the success 

 that has attended the efforts of the Gov- 

 ernment in experimental spraying, we 

 would naturally conclude that the solu- 

 tion used was a proper one, or nearly 

 so. The use of the same has also been 

 advised by most State experimental 

 stations. 



That this solution may be evenly dis- 



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tributed, the ingredients must be dis- 

 solved and kept agitated. It is a mis- 

 taken idea with many farmers, and not 

 a few fruit growers, that as long as the 

 Paris green and water meet in the bar- 

 rel everything will turn out satisfactorily, 

 and accordingly the poison is weighed 

 (or, what is a very bad practice, mea- 

 sured by guess) and then It is thrown 

 into the barrel. This is the careless, 

 lazy man's method, and worthy of noth- 

 ing but condemnation, as much of the 

 Paris green will float on the water and 

 never become dissolved, and as a result 

 the insects would sustain no injury. To 

 properly dissolve the Paris green, it 

 should be put in a cup or bowl and a 

 few drops of water added to it. Then 

 stir until the water is taken up and add 

 a few more drops. Keep this up until 

 • you have a thin paste, which will be but 

 a very short time, and every particle of 

 the poison will be thoroughly dissolved. 

 Then put it in the barrel of water. 



To dissolve the copper sulphate, it 

 should be put in a coarse cloth or leno 

 and suspended in hot water. Keep it 

 hot, and it will take but a few minutes 

 to get it ready. Be sure it is dissolved 

 in a wooden receptacle, as the sulphate 

 would ruin any metal vessel. When 

 these ingredients are thoroughly dis- 

 solved and lime is slaked, all are mixed, 

 passed through a screen into the barrel 

 and kept thoroughly agitated, and even 

 distribution of the poison is assured. 



As to the time. of spraying, the orchard- 

 ist should give considerable thought. 

 Many insect eggs hatch before the buds 

 burst and the young feed upon the swell- 

 ing buds. As these worms are more 

 easily killed when small than when they 

 have attained full growth, it is advisable 



