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 
