208 
March 5, 
THE; RUKAL NliVV-YUKKKR 
SUMMARY OF 1909 SPRAYING. 
I give the results of a comparative 
potato spraying test of no spraying, 
thorough, double and triple applications 
of Bordeaux, together with other allied 
items. The field contains 18 acres, is 
parallelogram in shape, has an eastern 
exposure and an elevation of about 625 
to 650 feet above sea level. Owing to 
adjoining woods and a range of land 
and big hill, 50 to 200 feet higher on 
southwest, west and north, the air drain¬ 
age is not perfect. There were 302 field 
rows, about 55 rods long, running nearly 
north and south, with six headland rows 
at south end and a public highway along 
north side of farm; 17 rows are con¬ 
sidered an acre. Potatoes were machine 
planted. 3x11x33 inches May 19-24 (two 
weeks late), and machine dug October 
1 -8; 4,600 bushels, average 255. Potatoes 
were somewhat green and skinned con¬ 
siderably in places. Yields are by crate 
measure, field run of potatoes, not as¬ 
sorted. Unmerchantable ones probably 
five per cent. Local price at harvest 
was 50 cents. 
Cost of spraying was as follows: 
1,675 pounds copper. $81.24; freight, 
$2.01; 15 barrels Ohio lime, $15.75, and 
25 days work, $75, totaling $174. for the 
field, or an average cost of $9.67 per acre 
for thorough spraying. From July 2 to 
September 11, 335 55-gallon barrels of 
5-5-50 formula Bordeaux were applied. 
Total gallons used were 18,425, or an 
average of 1,023% gallons per acre for 
thorough spraying, costing $9.67. Double 
spraying, 2,047 gallons per acre, cost 
$19.34 and triple spraying, 3,070% gallons 
per acre, cost $29.01. Rows 229, 230 
and 231 were the check, or unsprayed 
rows. 
How 230. central check row, 15 bushels x 
17 rows, equals 225 bushels at 50 cents, 
SI 27.50. 
How 223, thorough sprayed, 19 bushels x 
17 rows, equals 323 at 50 cents, $161.50, 
less $9.67, $151.83. . , 
Row 237. thorough sprayed, 18 bushels x 
17 rows, equals 306 bushels at 50 cents, 
$153, less $9.67, $143.33. 
Rows 238. 239. 240, 241 and 242. five of 
them, were double sprayed, yielded_98 bush¬ 
els. or an average per row of 19 3-5 bushels 
x 17 equals 333 1-5 at 50 cents, $166.50, 
less double spraying cost $19.34, $147.20. 
How 243, triple sprayed, yielded 1 1 
bushels x 17 equals 289 bushels at 50 cents, 
$144.50. less $29.01. .$115.49. 
Average of rows 223 and 237, $151.83 
plus $143.33, equals $295.16 divided by 2, 
$147.58. . 
Average thorough spraying Increased yield 
59% bushels and at 50 cents gave a net 
gain of $20.08 per acre, or a total net gain 
for the field of .$361.44. 
Comparing average of double sprayed 
rows, 238-242. inclusive, side by side of 
thorough sprayed row 237. double spraying 
further increased yield from 51 bushels to 
78 1-5 bushels, or 27 1-5 bushels at 50 cents, 
a not of $3.93, per acre is realized for double 
over 1 borough spraying, or a total net .$3.93 
gain for both, thorough and double spraying, 
per acre of $24.01. 
Triple spraying evidently caused a direct 
loss, however it is not considered final. Re¬ 
sults are given exactly as found. Reader is 
free to form his own opinion. 
Net loss, per acre, of triple spraying over 
no spraying was $12.01. 
Net loss, per acre, of triple spraying over 
thorough spraying was $27.84. 
Net loss, per acre, of triple spraying over 
double spraying was $31.77. During the 
season 49 pounds Paris green were used for 
potato bugs, but not figured in on the fore¬ 
going. 
Maximum potato vine growth was 
reached August 27, 1909. Check rows 
wholly died only about four days earlier 
than adjoining sprayed rows, yet parts 
of check were dead 10 days earlier. Con¬ 
trast in places first observed August 20. 
No earlv nor late blight recognized, 
worth mentioning, anywhere in field. 
Trouble seemed to he solely dry weather 
and tip-burn, together with ravages of 
millions of greedy flea-beetles, countless 
thousands of aphis (suckers) and hun¬ 
dreds of another new, soft, green bodied, 
%-%-inch long, double-winged, slow, 
short-flying, lazy lummox of the chew¬ 
ing insect class. This insect js a sort 
of an aristocrat, in that he does little 
business, apparently in morning, usually 
not waking up until three or four in 
the afternoon; however he is steadily 
increasing, from year to year. Owing 
to the thorough spraying, strangers at a 
distance judge the field to be cabbage. 
Some neighbors have said: “Martin 
lives in the potato field during the spray¬ 
ing season.” Be that as it may, no 
potato leaf can be found, without many 
punctures caused by these various little, 
but big gastric capacity, abominable in¬ 
sects. 
In the line of nozzles, after faithfully 
testing a new one, the old ones were 
reluctantly discarded. New nozzle is of 
the Vermorel class, eddy chamber, dis- 
gorger renewable disk and very compact. 
Disks are cheap, $1 per hundred, service¬ 
able, easily and quickly replaced. Prin¬ 
cipal point of merit is in the cheap, re¬ 
newable disk which practically makes it 
as good as a new nozzle. There are 
several types of disk nozzle made by 
different manufacturers. It is best 
adapted for close work. It delivers the 
•spray in conical, ring form, completely 
breaking it up into a mist-like fog, or 
smoke, that thoroughly covers everything 
within its reach; 75 gallons Bordeaux de¬ 
livered by this nozzle at 100-125 pounds 
pressure is undoubtedly more effectual 
than 100 gallons delivered by some of 
the old style nozzles. Of course the 
wind will shift a fine spray more readily 
than a coarse one. t. e. martin. 
SHORT INSECT NOTES. 
Cure for Cabbage Maggot, 
In a recent issue of The R. N.-Y. I no- 
nticed a article on using sail for maggots 
on cabbage roots. Lasl Spring I planted 
about 300 early cabbage plants, and I began 
losing several plants every day. 1 expected 
to lose the entire lot, and thought a little 
experimenting could not do any damage. 
On one-half of the remaining plants I used 
a strong solution of nitrate of soda and 
water, putting about one-half pint of the 
water around each plant. On the other half 
1 used the same amount of weak kerosene 
emulsion. I do not believe I lost a half 
dozen plants after the treatment and I 
never saw a nicer lot of cabbage; the only 
trouble was that several of the heads burst 
which I believe I left stand too long. I 
examined the roots of many of the plants 
before treatment and found maggots on 
each one. f. h. 
Johnstown, Pa. 
Poison in Potato Beetles. 
In an old volume printed 40 years ago 
it is stated that Potato beetles contain a 
poison, and cases were noted where persons 
were seriously injured by eating food 
smeared with this substance. What does 
modern science say? it. 
The Potato beetle, like many other insects, 
when handled exudes a yellowish liquid 
that is slightly caustic and stains a little. 
It seems to have the effect of making the 
beetle repugnant to most birds and animals. 
Very few creatures will feed on it. I sup¬ 
pose if anybody deliberately licked off his 
fingers after handling a large number of 
Potato beetles, it might make him extremely 
sick for a time; but beyond that there would 
be no results. The Potato beetle does not 
usually infest anything -but potatoes and 
similar tops, and the foliage of none of the 
Solanaeeous plants is eaten, not even that 
of the Wonderberry. This much is true, 
that the exuding juices of the Potato beetle 
are mildly poisonous in character; but that 
there is any practical danger connected with 
this fact is not true. john b. smith. 
The Railroad Worm. 
What is the best method for overcoming 
the ravages of the railroad worm, so-called? 
I am negotiating for an orchard farm in a 
section where this pest is the one pest that 
is the hardest for them to control, and be¬ 
fore concluding my purchase. I would like to 
satisfy my mind that there is some practical 
method of handling the situation success- 
mi l.v. S. D. C. 
Massachusetts. 
Nothing new has been added to our meth¬ 
ods of control. The practice of clean cul¬ 
tivation together with picking up and de¬ 
stroying the wormy apples as they fall, are 
the only things we have to recommend as 
yet. It will take very thorough work with 
these operations to hold the insect in cheek. 
SHORT FRUIT NOTES. 
Bartlett Grafted on Duchess. 
J have seen from time to time in Tnx R. 
N.-Y. a discussion about grafting Duchess 
pear trees over to Bartlett. I have been 
doing this more or less for five or six years, 
and so far with success. I sold m.v fruit this 
year mostly to the firms of Hague and Hong 
of Lockport. Mr. Hague was at my place a 
dozen times last Summer; he pronounced 
the fruit on the trees the best, or at least, 
equal to any in Western New York. I have 
one Duchess tree that has been grafted over 
32 or 15 years: it is still doing well. The 
only special thing that I would sa.v in re¬ 
gard to this is that the Duchess top should 
ik* removed slowly, a little each year. It 
would be better to take live years in getting 
li all off. I got much more fruit from the 
grafts than I ever got from the Duchess. 
Monroe Co., N. Y. b. f. h. 
Fertilizers for Peach Trees. 
How many pounds of bone should l*. 
spread around peach trees that are four, 
five and six years set? How many pound*, 
of muriate oJC potash should be spread roumx 
these trees? J. m. b. 
Ledyard. Conn. 
We should mix the bone three parts by 
weight with one part muriate and apply 
six to eight pounds of the mixture to each 
tree—out as far as the limbs extend or a 
little beyond. 
Hogs in Peach Orchard. 
I am thitfking of putting fence round aa 
orchard of about an acre, to turn in hogs, 
in Spring. Do you think it necessary to 
protect the body of trees, and if so, how? 
The trees have been set 20 years, or more. 
Would it hurt the trees to nail on board or 
a 2x4 to nail wire to? C. P. s. 
East Clarendon, Yt. 
Hogs will often rub or scratch against 
certain trees and work some of the bark off. 
In rare cases we have had them gnaw the 
bark and nearly ruin trees. They seldom 
or never do this if they are properly fed. 
Give them some grain and keep a box con¬ 
taining charcoal, wood ashes, salt and sul¬ 
phur mixed. This will keep them in good 
shape. If protection is needed drive three 
stout stakes around the tree and wind a 
barbed wire around them. 
I NSTANT DEATH to all the multiplying millions of bugs, blights and insects that 
lay waste fruit farms and potato fields, is a penalty more merciful than they deserve. 
These hordes of ravenous crop-eaters, unless promptly dealt with are destined to destroy 
millions of dollars’ worth of crops during the present year. Farmers and Fruit Growers 
are urged, in their own interest, to take immediate steps toward wiping out the crop parasites. 
The Leader 
Gasoline Orchard 
Sprayer. 
The picture above shows a four wheel, 
wide tire, truck and skeleton platform, with the 
Leader Gasoline Engine. Pumping Jack and Spray 
Pump, a 200-gal. half round tank with automatic 
agitator, steel tower with elevated platform. It is 
equipped complete for spraying large orchards. Complete 
description and price on pages 22, 30 and 31 of the 
Free Book we offer. 
less than any other method. Fourth, each machine is the limit 
The Free Book tells in detail of these highly modern 
about the use of Barrel, Knapsack and Bucket Spray Pumps. 
tomorrow makes you reasonably certain of getting the Book, 
address is before you. Now is the time to declare war on all 
Last season the entire State of Mississippi was laid 
waste by a single species of parasite! The United States 
Government has just appropriated an immense sum to aid 
the farmers of Mississippi, all of whom are helpless to over¬ 
come this pestilence. Let this be a warning to other growers. 
Let them see that crop parasites are not allowed to get the 
upperhand. Let each man individually do his part NOW, 
both in his own interest and in the interest of all. Do not 
lose sight of the fact that a single colony of parasites often 
increases by millions over night. 
The cheapest and most successful way to deal proper 
punishment to crop parasites, is the subject of a book now 
offered free to American Fruit Growers and Potato Farmers. 
Everybody wants fine crops, so everybody should read this 
book and learn how to escape insect plagues. One 
reader in every five will receive a copy free. There 
will not be enough books to supply the remaining four 
fifths.' Request for books will be handled in the ordeT 
they are received. First come, first served. 
The two most effective “ Engines of War ”—the weapons 
most extensively used for putting parasites permanently to 
sleep—are shown on this page. One is the Leader 
Qasoline Orchard Sprayer, and the other is the Watson 
High Pressure 4-Row Potato Sprayer. Neither 
machine can be fully explained here, though a 
few points on each may be briefly taken up. 
These are the four main features of both 
machines:— First, they do the work with 
deadly precision. 
Second, they require the 
least possible power 
and attention to run them. 
Third, the expense per 
acre of crop sprayed is 
of strength and durability, 
spraying machines and all 
A postal sent today or 
Write it now, while the 
crop parasites! Address, 
The Watson 
FIELD FORCE PUMP CO., High Pressure 
2 ELEVENTH STREET. ELMIRA, NEW YORK. 4 ROW Potato Sprayer 
The Picture Below Shows : 
The Watson High-Pressure 4-Row Potato Sprayer, 
entirely automatic, with agitator and brushes. Adjustable 
nozzles and adjustable wheels. Fitted with thills for one 
horse. Capacity, 60 gallons. Sprays orchards, shrubs, 
cotton, tobacco, vegetables, etc. Readily converted into 
hand sprayer. Sprays 30 to 40 acres a day. For fur¬ 
ther description and prices, read page 23 of our new 
Free Book. 
KILL The Infernal Parasites 
That Are Eating' Up Your Crops! 
