94 



THE CANADTAN HORTICULTURIST 



April, tQii; 



A modern power sprayer at work in an old but well-kept orchard. 



planted in the falls of 191 1, 191 2, and 

 1913 . Duplicate check rows were plant- 

 ed in the springs of 1912, 1913, and 

 1 91 4. In every case there was a differ- 

 ence in favor of the fall planting. 



The following table showing the re- 

 sults on the plums may be of interest. 



We are dynamiting this fall and set- 

 ting the trees at once in part of the ex- 

 periment, dynamiting now and setting 

 the trees in spring and in part dynamit- 

 ing and setting the trees at once in the 

 spring. This should give us a fair idea 

 of the value of the practice. The soil 



Autumn Planted Fall of 1912 

 Diameter of New Growth, 

 1914 



266^ 



Trunk 



1.66 

 1.66 

 1.58 

 1.66 

 1-75 

 1-75 



10.06 

 1.676 



338 

 255 



274>^ 

 237 



266 y^ 



1637^ 

 272.9 



The trees are yet too young to bear 

 fruit, but the growth of the longest 

 planted trees this summer is a fair indi- 

 cation of the value of the one time of 

 planting over the other. 



No trees have been lost in thefall plant- 

 ed rows and only one in the spring 

 planted ; none in the dynamited. 



In connection with this experiment we 

 have also been testing the value of dyna- 

 miting holes for fruit trees. The table 

 gives the results to date. At present the 

 trees are smaller and making a little 

 slower growth than either the fall or 

 spring planted, but I do not care to draw 

 any conclusions as yet. We are con- 

 tinuing the work again this fall and 

 coming spring. I attribute the smaller 

 growth of the trees in the dynamited 

 holes to the fact that the holes were dy- 

 namited and the trees set at once. The 

 soil was well shattered as it should have 

 been, and consequently dried out badly, 

 the trees suffering- a set-back, from 

 which they have not yet recovered. 



is a heavy clay, with a very stiff blue 

 and red clay subsoil. 



How Wc Made Our Spray Tank 



J. F. Werden & Son, Picton, Oat. 



In the spring of 1913 we bought one 

 of the large sized hand spraying ina- 

 chines of a leading make. It is ar- 

 ranged for power also. We used it the 

 first year with a single barrel as a- sup- 

 ply tank. As we ran only one line of 

 hose this did not work too badly, but it 

 was rather slow. Last spring we decid- 

 ed to add another line of hose and put 

 two men on the pump as we like plenty 

 of pressure, we decided that we must 

 have a larger tank. We priced them, 

 and decided to try an idea that we had 

 had in mind for some time. 



We bought three oil barrels of about 

 fifty gallons capacity. They should be 

 the .same size. We took a truck wagon 

 we had on the farm and used it as a 

 spray wagon. On it we put first two 

 planks, one on each side out against the 

 stakes. They should be at least four- 



teen inches wide and twelve feet long. 

 On these we put two pieces two by six. 

 They would be better if they were three 

 inches thick. We went to our plumber 

 and got him to cut two pieces of inch and 

 one-quarter galvanized pipe. On each 

 piece we got him to cut a thread at least 

 an inch and a half long on each end, and 

 fitted them with two lock nuts on each 

 end and one washer of rubber packing 

 on each end. In the first barrel wc 

 bored a hole just large enough to let this 

 pif)e in. It should be down on one side 

 as close to the staves as it can be bored, 

 but be sure to leave room enough to get 

 your lock nut up tight. The other bar- 

 rels were bored in the same way. The 

 middle one, of course, had a hole in each 

 end. Care was taken to get them ex- 

 actly opposite. The rear end barrel also 

 had a hole in it so as to drain the tank 

 when necessary. 



We cut a hole in the barrel about four 

 inches square right beside the bung of 

 the barrel so as to get our arm in to 

 put the washers and nuts on the ends 

 of the pipe inside the barrel. These 

 need to be put only the length of the 

 thread inside and then tightened on the 

 outside. On the waggon we put a two 

 inch on the front bolster to give the tank 

 a slope, then cut the two-by-six pieces 

 so as to fit the bulge of the barrel as 

 much as possible. The barrels were 

 placed in position and the lock nuts 

 screwed as tight as we could get them. 

 If you try this, get your blacksmith to 

 make you six rods, long enough to go 

 up over each end of the barrels and down 

 through the planks. If they are fitted 

 right and .screwed up tight the barrels 

 will be perfectly rigid. The success of 

 the tank depends on this. Now take 

 some short pieces of scantling and build 

 a frame work so as to build a platform 

 over the top of the barrels. Ours does 

 not touch the barrels, and our observa- 

 tions lead us to think it is better for 

 them not to. Put your pump on this 

 platform with the suction hose in the 

 lowest barrel, and you are ready for the 

 orchard. Your agitator should work in 

 all three barrels, but this will depend on 

 how the pump you have is arranged. 



Notes on Fertilizers 



W. F. Carpenter, Grimsby, Ont. 



The annlvsis is the important factor 

 in artificial fertilizers. They are most 

 beneficial for use on sandy and light soil 

 where it is not necessary to have a 

 mulch. On the heavier soils a mulch 

 is required, and fertilizers will not show 

 the same result. 



In fruit trees it is difficult to notice the 

 result when fertilizers are used, although 

 I am satisfied they are a benefit, especi- 

 ally to growth. If heavy in potash they 

 greatly assist the maturing of all fruits. 

 In other crops fertilizers are most bene- 

 ficial, and the difference in quality and 

 growth is easily noticed. 



