APPLYING MATERIALS 



341 



(a) Planning Facilities. For liquid spraying convenient 

 and adequate water supply is of first importance. If the water 

 must be pumped, the reservoir in which it is stored should have 

 ample capacity for at least a full day of spraying, and an even 

 greater reserve is good insurance against delays and accidents. 

 A storage that permits filling the spray tank by gravity is best. 

 Even though the supply is taken from a running stream or 

 lake, many growers prefer to pump the water at first into 

 storage tanks from which it may be run quickly into the 

 sprayers. A central water supply equally distant from all 

 outer points of the orchard is good for large enterprises. A 

 man may be located here to mix materials and have them 

 ready when the sprayers arrive. 



Some growers prefer a number of smaller filling stations 

 throughout the orchard rather than a single larger central 

 supply station. This arrangement saves time spent in haulage, 

 and it permits work to go on even should a supply unit be out 

 of commission. 



If the enterprise is large enough to warrant the extra in- 

 vestment, a spare outfit at the central point, ready to operate, 

 will save time. As the empty machine comes in, the crew 

 simply changes machines and goes on. 



Equipment for preparing the formulas that are made up by 

 the grower has already been described in connection with the 

 materials themselves. Accurate scales and measuring devices 

 should be on hand. Stocks of repair parts and extra parts for 

 the machines should be accumulated before the season begins. 

 The grower can much better afford to carry the slight extra 

 investment in such parts than to be compelled to suspend 

 operations while waiting for them to arrive. Some manufac- 

 turers attempt to give prompt service on repair parts and ac- 

 cessories ; others do not. All are very busy while the spraying 

 season is on and cannot handle orders with as much dispatch 

 as during the slack season. Among extra parts which the 

 grower should have in reserve are: 



