•y 
i'ixn ■’ 
P HOTO' LNlTctfitbY 
Vol. LXVIII. No. 3083. 
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 27, 1909. 
WEEKLY, $1.00 PER YEAR 
SPRAYING WITH COMPRESSED AIR. 
How the System Works. 
What can you tell me about compressed air sprayers, as 
to cost, practicability, etc.? I want to use homemade lime 
and sulphur. Would there be any trouble about agitation? 
Would the air be very hard to hold? Would there be 
much danger of the tank blowing up? How many pounds 
of pressure would it have to hold? Would there be much 
difficulty in getting same pressure on nozzle at the begin¬ 
ning and at the end of the spraying? I want a power 
more thoroughly convinced that it is the best system 
yet discovered. I will as nearly as I can answer the 
questions and then add further description of my plan. 
Cost is more than gasoline, such as are now on 
the market, but our air outfit will do the work of two 
or three gasoline machines. I do not know that they 
can be bought complete anywhere, but any grower 
can make his own; it is simply a matter of buying the 
parts in open market and assembling them. Four out- 
air tank in five minutes, and that is about as quick as 
the spray mixture can be put in the spray tank. 
My compressed air outfit consists of a central or 
reloading station and the parts taken into the orchard. 
The central station is located with reference to its 
convenience to water; it includes the air compressor, 
mixing tanks, etc. The parts taken to the orchard 
consist of two or more low two-wheeled one-horse 
carts, each carrying a 50-gallon, air and a 50-gallon 
AN AIR PRESSURE SPRAYING TANK IN ACTUAL ORCHARD WORK. Fig. 71. 
sprayer, but the ordinary engine and pump make too heavy 
a load for my hills. How much power would it take to 
compress the air? I have a turbine water wheel that 
will give 10-12 horse power. s. g- 
Virginia. 
It is about 10 years since I made my first com¬ 
pressed air spraying outfit. I am still using the first 
carts and some of the first tanks. Each year im¬ 
provements in the details of construction, operation 
and method of application are made, but the prin¬ 
ciple and general form is the same. Each year I am 
fits are in use here. They are used quite extensively 
in northern Ohio and in several other States. Agita¬ 
tion is perfect. It is no trouble whatever to hold the 
air, and there is no danger of blowing up. Tanks are 
tested to 250 pounds; 175 pounds is all that is neces¬ 
sary. There is no difficulty whatever in keeping 
pressure even from beginning to end, and as to weight, 
anywhere it is practical to drive with a light buggy 
the sprayer can be taken. Three or four horse power 
is sufficient to drive a compressor to charge a 50-gallon 
mixture tank fitted with hose, rod and nozzles. This 
is all the machinery taken into the orchard. When 
we get ready to spray we go ahead and spray, with 
no more thought or liability of accident or trouble 
with the operation than with a job of plowing or 
cultivating. 
The object of using two or more carts (I use five 
or six and two or three nozzle men) is to avoid delay. 
Spraying with us is a continuous operation; one or 
more are constantly in operation while the others are 
