108 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



New York State. New York State is largely occupied with 

 fruit growing. Spraying ha.s become a matter of real profit 

 with them. Hull Brothers of Gosport, N. Y., make the best 

 pump. The nozzle the lecturer mentioned is, no doubt, a 

 good one. My experience was that the Niagara and the 

 Dewey nozzles were the best. The pump having two cylin- 

 ders is not liable to wear out as soon as those with one 

 cylinder. I saw this used with two, three and four nozzles, 

 and it thoroughly filled the air with a fine spray. The 

 Friends are running their factory night and day, and still find 

 it hard to fill orders. If you will write them and mention 

 Dr. Thompson, they will use you right. I have distributed 

 some of their circulars. I am not an agent, I am a clergy- 

 man ; but as I am interested in the farmers and in fruit 

 growing, I thought it a wise thing to present this this 

 morning. 



Austin Hetwood (of Worcester). Fungus has attacked 

 the muskmelon and the cucumber this year. Do you use 

 Bordeaux mixture for that? 



Dr. Sturgis. Yes, but not with grea?t success. We have 

 been investigating this for five years, with practically no 

 success. I am inclined to think it is in the constitution of 

 the vine more than it is in the spraying. I am beginning to 

 think that we can feed our plants. Instead of giving them 

 the whole of the fertilizer at once, give them half the amount 

 at first, and the other half sown broadcast before the vines 

 begin to run. Give them two or three meals instead of one, 

 and I think we will have more vigorous plants. I am very 

 much taken with the experiments with lime on melon plants, 

 — the extraordinary benefits coming from liming the soil 

 before attempting to grow melons. 



Mr. BoYLSTON. We have discarded Paris green, and used 

 a powder called " Bug death." Certainly with potatoes we 

 jret a great deal better results. In two or three hours' time 

 the slug is dead and disappears from the potato vines. They 

 claim also that this "Bug death" acts on the fungus and 

 destroys it. I would ask the doctor if he is at all acquainted 

 with it and the results ? 



Dr. Sturgis. No, I never have experimented with that 

 at all. As a rule, at the experiment station we have to stick 



