274 CACAO 



of the field. It is not possible, and only a charlatan would 

 attempt to provide it. 



While there is a great deal of good in spraying, and while 

 it may be of the greatest value to the planter, it must be 

 used with discretion and judgment by those who can apply 

 their own experience, and that of others, to the special 

 matter under treatment, in order to avoid failure and 

 confusion. Spraying is, in fact, a business in itself, and 

 in many countries where it is used experts exist who are 

 engaged to carry out the work under methods which are 

 guaranteed, and who are paid according to results. Amateur 

 applications, unless the result of study and experiment, 

 are often unsuccessful. The operator must know, first, 

 what to spray ; second, what to spray with ; third, how 

 to spray ; fourth, when and how often to spray ; and fifth, 

 he should be able to decide by microscopic observation 

 whether he has secured good results or the reverse, i.e., 

 whether he has killed the organism — plant or insect — 

 against which he instituted his campaign. Many may say, 

 " Oh ! I know what to spray," without knowing all the 

 assertion means. It is frequently recommended to spray 

 for " canker."" Well, what is " canker " ? Now, canker 

 in the field sense may be any one of several different things. 

 According to mycologists, it may mean Phytopthora, or it 

 may mean Nectria, or even Diplodia, each of which requires 

 different treatment, and unless the operator knows one 

 from the other and the treatment or application required 

 for each he does not know " what to spray." He may 

 say, if the formula is before him, " I know how to spray." 

 Does he ? Well, if he does, he will have to know how much 

 spray is enough to use, its strength, and how to put it on. If 

 he starts to spray a pod attacked by Brown Rot {Diplodia), 

 and finds on examination with instruments that all the 

 spores on the pod are destroyed, and concludes the exami- 

 nation satisfactory and the spraying effective, he is much 

 in error ; for if he examines the pod a few hours afterwards 

 he will find that the spores have reappeared as plentifully 

 upon the surface as he first found them, and that another 



