292 



THE I R R I G A T 1 N AGE. 



For that reason, a weak solution, two pounds of copper sul- 

 phate to 50 gallons of water, is preferable, or, even better, 

 one or the other of the lime-sulphur sprays described else- 

 where in this bulletin. 



The third spraying is applied just about the time the 

 eggs of the first brood of codling moths are hatching. By 

 coating the foliage and fruits with spray at this time, a 

 large number of the worms will be killed. This spraying is 

 especially valuable for destroying those larvae which may 

 attempt to enter the apple at some point other than the 

 calyx. 



Apple scab largely spreads about the time of the first, 

 second and third sprayings. If the weather is hot and dry 

 during this period, the germination of the spores is retarded, 

 and in such a season apple scab does little damage; but if 

 we have moist conditions the disease thrives. As we do not 

 know in advance what weather conditions will be, the only 

 safe plan to follow is always to make the first three spray- 

 ings with the fungicide. As scab is not developing when 

 the fourth spraying is made, it means a waste of material 

 to apply Bordeaux. Lead arsenate, mixed at the rate of 

 l l /2 pounds to 50 gallons of water, should be used at this 

 time, which is for controlling the second brood of the 

 codling moths. Carefully mixing and applying the second 

 and third sprayings means that comparatively few larvae 

 of the first brood will escape, hence the second brood would 

 be few and would cause but little trouble. For that reason, 

 it behooves the orchardist to be unusually careful with the 

 earlier sprayings. At times in the past, a fifth spraying has 

 been recommended, but certainly it is not very essential, pro- 

 viding the earlier sprayings have been properly given. Where 

 a fifth spraying is made, it should be with the insecticide alone 

 and should be applied three to four weeks after the fourth. 



In general the per- 

 son who has a small 

 orchard will use some- 

 where from 100 to 500 

 gallons of the mixture 

 in each average spray- 

 ing. For such small 

 amounts it will be 

 preferable to mix the 

 spray material in 50- 

 gallon lots. Take four 

 pounds of copper sul- 

 phate (otherwise 

 known as bluestone or 

 blue vitriol) and dis- 

 solve it in a half- 

 barrel (25 gallons) of 

 water. To do this, 

 place the copper sul- 

 phate in a common 

 gunny sack and hang 

 the sack in the barrel 

 so that the sulphate 

 will be partially sub- 

 merged in the water. 

 By using this scheme, 

 one gets the bluestone 

 to dissolve more 

 quickly, as the more 

 concentrated solution 

 is always at the bottom 

 of the barrel. 



Also slack four 

 pounds of lime in a 

 second barrel. At first 

 use only enough water 

 to slack the lime. When it has slacked, add enough water 

 to make 25 gallons of the mixture. The copper sulphate 

 and lime solution should be poured together into a third 

 barrel or they can be put directly into the sprayer. In 

 either case, the materials should be evenly mixed. That is, 

 a bucket of lime water and a bucket of the bluestone solu- 

 tion should be run through the strainer at the same time. 

 In order that the spray nozzles shall not become clogged 

 with sediment later, it is necessary that the solutions be 

 thoroughly strained. Excellent copper strainers having 18 

 to 20 meshes to the inch, can be found on the market. 



A fairly good artificial strainer can be made by taking 

 a small box, about a foot square, knocking out the bottom 



Fig. (i. Mixing apparatus in Lincoln orchard. 



of the same and nailing several strips of ordinary window 

 screen over the bottom. 



For actual spraying work, we have several types of 

 bucket and knapsack machines, but these are too small and 

 do not give sufficient pressure to be of service in spraying 

 trees. A good vertical barrel pump sprayer is serviceable 

 for general use in a small orchard. It is not our purpose 

 to recommend any particular make of pump, but there are 

 several things to be considered when buying one. First 

 of all, it should have a large air chamber so that 75 pounds 

 pressure can be generated. The cylinder, plunger, valves, 

 and in fact all working parts should be of brass. The 

 pump should also be so fixed in the barrel that it can easily 

 be removed in case of needed repairs. For convenience in 

 getting the pump about in the orchard it will be best to 

 mount it on a wagon. 



Two leads of hose should be attached to the pump, as 

 one man can drive and pump while two men spray. The 

 men can "trade off" occasionally, as pumping is very 

 fatiguing. The one who is pumping should always en- 

 deavor to keep at least 70 pounds pressure. For spraying 

 orchard trees, extension rods must be attached to the end 

 of the hose. Bamboo poles with inner brass rods are used 

 for this purpose. These rods should have brass stopcocks 

 at the base so that the spray can easily be turned on or 

 off as desired by the operator. 



No one part of a spray machine is of greater importance 

 than the nozzle. It is absolutely impossible to spray trees 

 properly with the best pumps unless good nozzles are used. 

 Good nozzles are those which give a fine spray and yet 

 do not easily clog with sediment. However, if clogging does 

 occur, the nozzle should be so constructed that the sediment 

 can be easily and quickly removed. There are several good 



types of nozzles on 

 the market, such as 

 the Vermorel, Bor- 

 deaux, and Cushman. 

 In spraying large 

 orchards, where one 

 uses power sprayers 

 carrying 200 to 250 

 gallons, it means that 

 the material must be 

 made on a large scale. 

 In doing this, stock 

 solutions of both cop- 

 per sulphate and lime 

 are made. In making 

 the ordinary copper 

 sulphate solution, the 

 material is dissolved in 

 water at the rate of 

 one pound to each gal- 

 lon of water. To do 

 this weigh out 50 

 pounds of bluestone. 

 place it in a sack, and 

 hang the sack in the 

 top of a 50-gallon bar- 

 rel which is nearly 

 filled with water. Al- 

 low the material to 

 remain there 12 to 20 

 hours to dissolve, 

 After it has entirely 

 dissolved, remove the 

 sack and add enough 

 water to fill the barrel. 

 One should always 



make his stock solutions a day or so before they will be 

 needed, because of the time required for the copper sul- 

 phate to dissolve. 



The stock solution of lime is prepared in a similar 

 manner. Weigh out 50 pounds of lime and slack it in a 

 barrel, using at first just enough water to slack the same. 

 In slacking such a large amount of lime, one has to be 

 careful and keep it vigorously stirred to prevent burning. 

 As soon as the entire quantity of lime is well slacked, fill 

 the barrel with water. 



After the stock solutions have been prepared, the bar- 

 rels should be covered so that evaporation will be lessened, 

 unless one is intending to use the material immediately. 



