Vol. LIX. No. 2622 . 
NEW YORK, APRIL 28, 1900. 
Jl PER YEAR. 
SPRAYING AND SPRAYING APPARATUS. 
THE WHERE, HOW AND WHEN. 
Great Importance of the Outfit. 
SPRAYING NECESSARY.—Although the majority 
of orchardists in the fruit-growing sections of the 
country that have in the past resorted to scientific 
spraying, have been very successful in their efforts, 
there are yet some who have carried on the work 
while experiencing little or no benefit therefrom. 
The overwhelming experience of the past few years 
shows that the reason of this is not that there is no 
efficiency in the work, but that it has not been prop¬ 
erly carried on. That those who have tried the 
process and have pronounced it a failure, will again 
have to resort to it, if they hope to keep up with 
the up-to-date orchardist, is most certain, for from 
every section of the country reports are coming 
stating that the apples gathered from orchards that 
were systematically and thoroughly sprayed, during 
the past season, are keeping much better than the 
fruit from unsprayed trees, and that the trees made 
strong, healthy growth, while many 
unsprayed orchards were defoliated 
during the early part of Summer. 
THE BEST MIXTURE.—There are 
several reasons why spraying has 
proved a failure in some instances in 
the past; the principal ones are use 
of the wrong mixtures; uneven distri¬ 
bution; applications made at improper 
time; lack of thoroughness in work. 
The formula for eating insects is: 
Paris-green, four ounces; water, 40 gal¬ 
lons. To combat fungous diseases, cop¬ 
per sulphate, four pounds; fresh lime, 
four pounds; water, 40 gallons. It is 
not necessary to go over the orchard 
twice, that is, once with each solution; 
the insects may be fought and the 
fungus combated at the same time 
with the solutions combined, Paris- 
green, four ounces; copper sulphate, 
four pounds; fresh lime, four pounds; 
water, 40 gallons. This combined in¬ 
secticide and fungicide has in the past 
proved very effectual when put on 
thoroughly and at the proper time. 
There are times, when tent-caterpillar, 
canker-worm or any other insect is 
extremely bad, when the Paris-green 
should be increased to six ounces, or 
even doubled. 
HOW TO MIX IT--That this solu¬ 
tion may be evenly distributed, the ingredients must 
be thoroughly dissolved and kept agitated. It is a 
mistaken idea with many farmers, and not a few 
fruit-growers, that as long as the Paris-green and the 
water meet in the barrel, everything will turn out sat¬ 
isfactorily, and accordingly the barrel is filled with 
water, the poison is weighed (or, what is a prevalent 
and extremely bad practice, measured) out, and then 
it is thrown into the barrel. This is the careless, 
lazy man’s method. Much of the Paris-green floats 
on the water, and never becomes dissolved, and as a 
result the insects sustain little or no injury. Four 
ounces of Paris-green is a very small quantity to put 
with 40 gallons of wa*er, and if it is to be effectual 
every particle must be suspended. That this may be 
properly done the poison should be put in u large 
cup or bowl, and a few drops of water added to it. 
Then stir until the water is taken up, and again add 
a little more water. Keep this up until you have 
a thin paste, which will be but a very short time. 
Wet the Paris-green the last thing before beginning 
work, as it has a tendency rapidly to settle to the 
bottom of the barrel, and then put it in the water. 
To dissolve the copper sulphate, it should be put in 
a bag maue o. coarse cloth or leno (mosquito net¬ 
ting), and suspended in hot (not warm) water. Keep 
it hot and it will take but a few minutes to get it 
ready. Of course copper sulphate would dissolve in 
warm or even cold water, but it would take hours 
to do it. Be sure it is dissolved in a wooden re¬ 
ceptacle, as tne sulphate will ruin any vessel made 
of metal. The fresh stone lime should also be slaked 
with hot water. Put the lime in a large spice pail, 
and at first but partially cover it with water, and 
then cover the pail with an old sack to retain the 
heat. Add more water as it is consumed, neve r al¬ 
lowing the lime to “burn.” When thoroughly slaked 
add water to bring it to a “milk.” When the in¬ 
gredients are thoroughly dissolved all are mixed, 
passed through a screen into the barrel and kept 
thoroughly agitated, and even distribution of the poi¬ 
son is assured. 
WHEN TO SPRAY.—As to the time of spraying 
the orchardist should give considerable thought. 
Many insect eggs hatch before the buds burst, and 
the young feed upon the swelling buds. As these 
worms are more easily killed when small, it is ad¬ 
visable to give one or two applications before bloom¬ 
ing time. This has also been found the best time 
to combat fungus. Then, to be effective against the 
Codling-moth, the apple’s worst insect enemy, the ap¬ 
plications should be made immediately after the 
bloom has all fallen, and then again 10 or 12 days 
later, before the calyx cavity has closed up, as it 
is in this cavity that most of the Codling-moths are 
caught. Care should also be exercised in selecting 
a time when the air is quite still, and when appear¬ 
ances point to at least two or three fine days to 
follow. Of all the reasons for failure in spraying the 
last mentioned—lack of thoroughness in work—is the 
one most prevalent. Some men appear to think that 
as long as the solution is thrown at the tree the 
work is done. Every part of the tree should be cov¬ 
ered, from the point where the trunk meets the soil 
to the tips of the highest limbs. The trees should 
not be drenched, but sprayed. If one hold a piece 
of glass over the mouth of a teakettle it would soon 
become covered with what appears like a heavy fog 
or dew. Hold it a few seconds longer, and the 
dew will form in drops, run to the lowest side of 
the glass and fall off. Just so will the solution act 
upon the leaves of a tree. When the leaves and 
branches become coated with the spray the tree 
should be left, as but a very little more will cause 
the solution to begin to drip; it will then run to 
the edges of the leaves and drop off, and they will 
have had simply a wash, the insects will eat away 
unharmed, and the work has been carried on for 
naught. That this may be done successfully the 
spray must be broken up into very fine particles. 
Thoroughly to spray trees it is necessary to have a 
good spraying outfit. Nothing is more annoying to 
a farmer or fruit-grower than a spraying apparatus 
that is continually out of order. 
A GOOD PUMP.—In selecting a spraying outfit, 
there are several points which should be taken into 
consideration. The first, of course, is the pump 
itself. It is necessary that all metal parts of the 
pump that come in contact with the 
solutions used should be constructed 
of brass. This is absolutely neces¬ 
sary, for no other metal will stand 
the corrosive influence of the copper 
sulphate, but would in a very short 
period of time become ruined. The 
sucker should be made of brass. No 
pump with a sucker of leather, rub¬ 
ber, wood or any other material, ex¬ 
cepting brass, will give satisfaction 
for any length of time. It must be 
remembered that such suckers when 
attached to a pump in a well of pure 
water, will not give satisfaction a 
great length of time without being 
continually renewed. If such be the 
case with pure water, where they are 
continually wet, what would be the 
result when attached to a pump de¬ 
signed purposely for the use of poi¬ 
sonous drugs, which act chemically 
upon these materials, besides the fact 
of being repeatedly wet and dry? 
The pump should be as low down and 
as compact as possible. It should be 
mounted on the side instead of the end 
of the barrel. This, besides making 
it lower, and therefore in a position 
to make operation more easy, causes 
upsets from crossing deep furrows less 
liable, and promotes a motion of the 
liquid which aids in keeping it agitated. A pump 
mounted on the end of a barrel gives a great amount 
of trouble in some orchards, where the trees are kept 
trimmed low. There should be a good agitator, one 
that will keep the contents of a barrel full of liquid 
thoroughly agitated. The pump should be easy to 
operate, for it must be remembered that the work is 
to be done by hand. That the mixture may be broken 
up into as fine a spray as is necessary for thorough 
spraying, the pump must have great force or power. 
Lastly, the pump should be purchased already fitted 
to a barrel in readiness for use, for the majority of 
farmers and fruit-growers have not the necessary 
tools with which to mount a pump properly. 
BARREL, HOSE, NOZZLE.—Having the pump, it 
is necessary that we should exercise the same care 
in procuring the remainder of the outfit. The bar¬ 
rel should be clean and strong, and hold 40 gallons. 
All openings therein should be furnished with tight 
fitting covers, for it is no pleasure to be doused 
with a solution such as Bordeaux Mixture, or any 
other Insecticide. For use in an apple orchard every 
A FIELD OF LAKE SHORE PUMPKINS. See Page 302. Fto. 00. 
