1904. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
875 
RESULTS FROM SPRAYING VINE CROPS. 
Experience in a Trucking Section. 
EXPERIMENTAL WORK.—Now that the truck¬ 
ing season is practically over, the various Winter crops 
gathered and stored, we naturally take a general re¬ 
view of the year's work, determining as accurately as 
possible what have been our most profitable lines of 
work during the year just past, and. more important 
still, what is the most promising feature for another 
season. Our thoughts turn to the new and possibly ex¬ 
perimental phases of our work. Which has paid us in 
dollars and cents? To the study of which should we 
devote our leisure Winter hours? Which promises most 
for the future? Right in this line there probably is 
nothing more timely than the spraying of cantaloupes, 
melons and cucumbers to prevent the fungus diseases 
which have developed so disastrously during 
recent years. The experience of the trucking 
interests in this particular line of work is 
quite limited, covering only two or three 
years at the best, consequently anything T 
may say must be taken, not as definite con¬ 
clusions, but merely the recital of a very 
limited experience, or of thoughts, more or 
less practical, suggested by this experience. 
BORDEAUX MIXTURE FOR BLIGHT. 
—That the blight on vine truck can be con¬ 
trolled by the frequent applications of Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture (4 parts copper sulphate to 
six parts of lime) is practically beyond ques¬ 
tion. During the past year I have kept in 
touch with several sprayed patches, and I 
find that the success of the treatment is in¬ 
sured, but the degree of success depends 
wholly upon the thoroughness practiced. 
Those spraying once, twice or three times 
during the season derived proportional bene¬ 
fit from their work; whereas those spraying 
every week kept their vines until the plant had run 
its full course. Thus the question seems to be to de¬ 
termine how much spraying is actually necessary. If 
two applications paid better than one, and three better 
than two, how long and how often will it pay to keep 
it up? Is it necessary to do it every week, as prac¬ 
ticed in some fields? The answers to these questions 
must of necessity be somewhat indefinite. It is our 
opinion that the weather conditions determine the 
frequency of the applications. An application should 
be made after each rain, or, in other words, keep the 
plant covered all the time. 
WHEN BEGUN.—The general opinion has been that 
the spraying need not be commenced until the plants 
are beginning to run, when they are a foot or so in 
diameter, but from our experience of last season, we 
have come to the conclusion that we shall begin earlier 
m the life of the plant. We have had the 
necessity of this driven home by actual ex¬ 
periment. Watermelon plants treated with 
Bordeaux when the vines were from one to 
three feet long did not live to mature their 
full crop of fruit, whereas some treated much 
younger, before the vines began to run at all, 
lived until they were killed by frost. Al¬ 
though a single experiment of this character 
is not conclusive, yet its significance cannot 
be ignored. Consequently next year we ex¬ 
pect to begin as soon as the plants are well 
above ground, and spray regularly every 10 
days. How late in the life of the plant it is 
necessary to continue the spraying is a ques¬ 
tion of experiment as yet. Those most thor¬ 
ough in the work have kept it up as long as 
there was anything green left to spray. But 
the practical time to cease spraying must be 
determined by actual experiment. 
STYLE OF SPRAYER.—In this early 
spraying, when the plants are small, the 
knapsack sprayer seems the most economical 
and practical. As the plants become too 
large for this to be profitably done, we must 
look to some power spraying process, and 
right here comes the difficult point in spray¬ 
ing vine crops, that of the mechanical ap¬ 
plication of the mixture. The majority of those in 
this section used an ordinary power potato sprayer, 
driving astride of every fourth row in cantaloupes. 
This is practical enough until the vines begin to meet 
from row to row, and the advocates of this method 
claimed that it did no great harm even then. Another 
method, and the one used on our farms, was to have 
a road every 40 feet and then have an extension pipe 
of 20 feet supported by guy rods from the spray wagon; 
then drive around each 40-foot block, doing 20 feet 
from each side. This leaves the roads something 
thicker than is necessary for carting off the crop later 
on, but by planting some other crop, that you can 
drive astride of, in these roads you do not sacrifice 
much ground. 
COST OF APPLICATION.—The cost of this spray¬ 
ing is not as great as at first thought we might sup¬ 
pose. About $1 per acre for each application will cover 
the expense. Of course this depends somewhat upon 
how large a scale the operation is on. and how well 
equipped you are. But with any ordinarily modern ap¬ 
pliance the above will cover the entire cost. The con¬ 
clusions derived from this year’s experience in spraying 
cantaloupes and other cucurbs are necessarily some¬ 
what indefinite. Yet we are convinced* that our labor 
and trouble were well repaid. We made five applica¬ 
tions, and while the result was not all that we hoped 
for, yet the difference between the sprayed and un¬ 
sprayed parts of our field was sufficient to give a large 
margin on the work of spraying. 
NECESSARY FACTORS.—In summing up there 
are a few points I wish to emphasize. All work of 
A GROUP OF MERINO SHEEP. Fig. 400. 
this character must be thorough. The object is to 
keep the plant so well covered with Bordeaux that the 
spores of fungi cannot find a lodging place on it. 'Thus 
the success of the work depends upon the thorough¬ 
ness practiced, and will be in proportion to it. From 
the experience of this season, it is evident that the 
spraying should be begun early in the life of the 
plant. The cost of this work is not at all in propor¬ 
tion to the benefit derived from it. The few addi¬ 
tional dollars spent in spraying an acre will probably 
double the returns. Joseph bartox. 
Burlington Co., N. J. 
CARING FOR THE MANURE CROP. 
CONSERVING FERTILITY.—This saying, “We 
never miss the water till the well goes dry,” is very 
applicable to the fertility of the farms in this country. 
Mr *£ 
BREAKFAST FOR THE FEA THERED BOARDERS. Fig. 410. 
nure pile due to all causes, such as washing, leaching, 
rapid decomposition, etc., and how well that little 
trouble is compensated, it would change the present 
conditions on many a farm, lift some mortgages, and 
restore prosperity to many who are no better off on 
January 1 than they were a year ago. 
TWO METHODS.—Now, how care for the ma¬ 
nure crop? First: Draw it from the pens and stalls 
and spread it upon the fields and meadows at once. 
This is now done on many farms of niy acquaintance, 
and the results commend the practice. The soil thus 
comes in close touch with the manure and immediately 
fixes (holds) the valuable compounds as fast as they 
are formed by decomposition and leaching. Second: 
Where the first is not practicable, as is often the case 
during cold weather on many farms, the manure must 
be stored, and thus the difficulties of pre¬ 
venting losses from it are increased. The 
excrement of animals begins to decompose 
just as soon as expelled. Certain bacteria 
are voided with the urine and excrement, 
which begin the work of decay at once. We 
want the manure to decompose, but not too 
rapidly, as it is then more difficult to catch 
and hold the escaping ammonia and other 
compounds formed by the process of de¬ 
composition. Since decay begins at once our 
work of preservation must begin in the stall 
and pen. 
USE OF ABSORBENTS.—Much has 
been said and written about the value of 
special substances, such as plaster, kainit, 
acid phosphate, etc., in preventing the escape 
of nitrogen compounds. As to the use of 
plaster, I refer you to my article on page 
762. Kainit or acid phosphate will add some 
value to the manure, but they must be kept 
from contact with the feet of animals. In 
my limited experience and in some late experiments 
their value for such use is questioned. By a wise use of 
absorbents and a controlled rate of decomposition the 
losses from volatilization can be reduced to a mini¬ 
mum. Peat, moss, earth, litter, etc., are the best ab¬ 
sorbents. 'These hold the valuable liquid parts and re¬ 
duce the losses from fermentation. It is a fact that a 
thin covering of soil over a decomposing compound will 
catch all escaping ammonia, and this is the principal 
thing to catch. 
COVERING THE MANURE.—The question of the 
value of a covering for the manure heap is still un¬ 
settled. From an experiment on this point, conducted 
by myself at the Michigan Agricultural College, I con¬ 
cluded that no shed for covering manure ever paid 
for itself. Prof. Storer and Prof. Jeffery are of a 
similar opinion. Of course if the manure is where 
heavy rains can wash it down a hill into a 
creek fully one-half its value will be lost. 
A shed would be very profitable in such a 
case. If a shed be used rain water is better 
to apply than a hose, as it contains some 
nitrogen, and is usually warmer than water 
from a hose. Put the manure in a dished 
yard away from the dripping eaves and where 
it cannot be washed away or leached beyond 
recovery. Keep it in a constant state of 
moisture and compactness to prevent too 
rapid decomposition. Mix in enough ab¬ 
sorbents to extend it, hold the fertilizing 
constituents as fast as formed and to con¬ 
trol the rate of decomposition. Sprinkle on 
what ashes you have to conserve the moisture 
and assist in decomposition. These done 
and the manure will suffer but little loss. 
Let no one infer from what I have said 
that fermentation should be stopped in the 
manure pile. Fermentation uncontrolled 
causes serious losses, but when properly con¬ 
trolled it increases the fertilizing constitu¬ 
ents of the manure. So-called firefanging is 
easily stopped by the sprinkling on of water. 
Water lowers the temperature, excludes some 
of the air and thus arrests too rapid fer¬ 
mentation. All manure should be kept moist. 
Virgin soils have produced banner crops year after 
year in the past, and all that was necessary was to 
dig up the surface and scafter on the seed. This great 
supply of plant foods has been removed and wasted in 
many instances by a careless handling of the manure, 
together with the selling off of grain, meat and hay. 
Farmers are just waking up to this awful source of 
waste, and are inquiring how to prevent it. Manure 
has been and still is by many looked upon as a neces¬ 
sary farm waste, the same as the debris about a newly- 
constructed building. Farmers should get riel of such 
an idea, and look upon the manure as t farm product, 
to be cared for just as much as a crop of corn or wheat. 
In fact, a well-kept manure heap is a sure sign of 
thrift and success on any farm. If farmers realized 
how little trouble it is to prevent losses from the ma¬ 
espeeially that which is naturally dry, such as horse and 
sheep dung. _ a. b. Rogers. 
HANDLING FARM PRODUCE.—! market the 
product of my farm, butter, hogs, poultry, eggs, pota¬ 
toes, etc., in Binghamton, N. Y., where I go once each 
week with produce of my own and other farms. I be¬ 
lieve that express charges are too high, although they as 
a rule give good accommodation and satisfaction. I 
have handled butter, etc., for nearly seven years. I take 
the goods here, sell them and return the money for a 
commission of one cent on butter, one-half cent per 
pound on hogs and other things in proportion. I haul 
the produce 20 miles and deliver it to customers; then 
load for return with anything that I have orders for 
from a sewing machine needle to a barrel of molasses. 
My charges are usually slightly under the express rates. 
New York. w. j. b. 
