HOSE — STRAINERS — TANKS 103 



Strainers 



An essential part of any outfit is a good strainer. Many spray 

 materials contain a great deal of sediment, and the coarser parts of this 

 must be removed if long life is to be expected of the pump, or continual 

 clogging of the nozzles avoided. Furthermore, unless all materials are 

 carefully strained as they are poured into the spray tank, various sorts 

 of foreign matter, such as waste, filings, or bits of wood or leaves, will 

 get into the tank and be sucked up into the pump, where they will 

 cause trouble. 



A satisfactory strainer can be made by cutting out the central 

 portion of the bottom of a 12-quart pail, fastening a large funnel 

 securely beneath, and a generous cone of wire cloth above, within the 

 bucket. The edges of the wire cloth forming the cone should be 

 soldered together. 



Another excellent type consists of an oblong box, one end of which 

 is made somewhat sloping, so that the affair can be set into the opening 

 of the spray tank without binding. The box is without top or bottom. 

 An oblong piece of wire cloth is fastened into the box at an angle, so 

 that one end of it is nearer the top than the other. 



In both of these strainers the essential feature is that the wire mesh 

 shall be so fixed that sediment will not clog it. In either one the spray 

 material will constantly wash clean the upper part of the screen. 

 Sediment that collects along the bottom of the screen can readily be 

 dumped out from time to time. The wire cloth used should be of 

 brass, 20 to 30 meshes to the inch. Nothing else will give satisfactory 

 service. 



Spray Tanks 



The ordinary size of spray tank for use with a hand pump in orchard 

 work is 50 gallons. Frequently the tank consists of a barrel, with a 

 pump mounted on its end or side. 



For use with a power pump the spray tank should be larger, pref- 

 erably of 150 to 200 gallons capacity. The best type is the half round, 

 because it may more easily be tightened up and kept from leaking. All- 

 round stave tanks, if provided with some means of tightening the hoops 



