Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1892-03-17
SPRAYING FRUITS.
WHY, HOW AND WHEN 1T is
DONE.
Read Before the Thirty-fourth Annual
Meeting of the Missouri State Horti-
cultural Society at sedaIia, Mo-. De-
cember 3, 1891.
BY William Stahl. Quincy, IL.

may not be led into an Improbable undertake
Ing. We may be in the business OF fruit-grow
ing for our health, but we are also in it for thu
profit that may be made.
My experience with spraying is probably a:
extensive as that Of any one in the country and
1t has shown me very conclusively that 1t doe:
pay TO spray, and it pays very handsomely
Some times it pays 500 to 1000 per cent Tha
is certainly sufficiently prosperous. Are yor
incredulous about that l can only say thai
my experience has shown me that a profit Of
800 per cent in spraying is by no means TN
usual, and there are many In tni:
state, some probably present here to
day, that can bear the same testimony
Profit depends upon the cost Of q thing and
the results achieved. We will first consider
the cost OF spraying, 1t is inconsiderable
Fortunately no one need be deferred from
spraying by the cost. In spraying there are
three important mixtures used. Other things
are used, but these three mixtures are used much
more than all things put together and many
fruit growers, perhaps a majority will never
have occasion to use anything other than these
three mixtures. For the sake of brevity will
consider only these three They are the Bor
deauX mixture the London purple solution, and
the kerosene emulsion.
The kerosene emulsion is TO prevent the
rayagCs OF hop lice, squash bugs, leaf hoppers
aphis. bark lice, chinch bugs etc. 1t is made
SS'AAAio'
hard soap in four pintS of water. To this add
gallon OfkerOsene. and the whole is agitated
bTiskly until a stable mixture is forced The
agitation is best accomplished by using q force
pump and pumping the mixture with force
back into the vessel that contains it, This
emulsion is ordinarily diluted for use by adding
ten to twelve parts OF water. 1t may be diluted
and used at once, or II may be allowed to stand
and be diluted when needed. Now, as to the
cost of it. Only the best whale-oil soap should
be used, but it costs only Is cents per pound. A
lNFt ba ttgI llnY, 90
total cost 40 to 45 cents, will make thirty gallons
OF the emulsion diluted for use. Not taking
into account the light labor required in its pre-.
paratiOn, the cost of the emulsion, ready for
use is less than cents per gallon
The second OF these three important RENE
dies is the Bordeaux mixture, made as
follows: Dissolve six pounds OF sulphate of
copper (blue vitriOD in sixteen gallons OF
water. In another vessel Stake four. pounds
of lime in six gallons of water. When this
has cooled, pour it slowly into the copper sOlu-
ton being careful to mix the fluids thoroughly
by constant stirring AS to the cost of this:
The water, Of course, costs nothing, the lime
next to nothing, and 100 pounds of the copper
sulphate will cost only cents per pound. The
Bordeaux mixture is used for the black rot of
the grape for pear and ounce leaf blight, and
for potato blight or rot To spray with it the
average vineyard will cost, per spraying, for
labor and material, including the cost of putting
ii on. not more than II 90 per acre.
The third, and most important OF these RENE
dies, is the London purple SOlutiOn-thC remedy
Tor the cooling mOth, Canker worm ana CurCullO
of the plum. etc. 1t is made by mixing London
purple with sufficient water to make q paste
This is stirred thoroughly into pail of water
and allowed to stand over night The contents
of the pail are then strained through fine sieve
or a coarse cloth into the distributing tank or
barrel containing water. There should be from
40 to $50 gallons Of water for each pound Of
London purple. The pound of London purple
will cost 20 cents, and fifty gallons OF the sou-
ton will spray an acre of the average orchard
Mr.. f. d. L. Evans of Houseman, Mich,
writes me that with my barrel sprayer, which
requires one man to operate it, he sprayed his
ten-aCrc orchard between o'clock in the fore
noon and in the afternoon, using eight barrels
OF solution. 1t is easy TO see that this spraying
did not cost 20 cents per acre for ma tCrial and
labor. Mr.. Evans says: Our orchard is the
only one that has any fruit on it at ALL
Mr.. Frank WeIlhOusc, Paramount, Kan, the
largest apple grower in the country, writes:
I'VE sprayed 100 acres twice, equal to go acres
once and 277 acres three times. equal to S3l
acres once, or total of Ills acres at single
spraying. TO do this we used 10000 gallons OF
wafer and coo pounds of London purple, and it
took fOrty-siX days to do the spraying: so that
the expense stands thus: FOrty-SiX DAYS with
team at r. 30 per day, Sll5; 600 pounds London
purple at 10 cents pound, 500 total, Sl15; or a
little over is cents per acre and about - mills
per tree for each spraying g."
As already appears, it is necessary to spray
more than once. Alittle information about the
times of spraying will be necessary to deter
mine fully the cost OF spraying each orchard or
vineyard, and with this information we will
also have nearly all the information necessary
as to how TO spray. To prevent the black rot
of the grape by using the Bordeaux
mixture spray in the spring after
the vineyard has been pruned and put in
order, but before vegetation has started; again
about ten days before the flowers open; the
third time when the flowers are opening, and
from this time on every three weeks until the
fruit begins TO color. To destroy codling moth
canlier worm or curCulio of the apple by using
the London purple solution, spray soon after
the blossoms have tallen-when the apples are
the size Of a pea. II the best results are to be
obtained, a second application should be made
a week or ten days after the first. To prevent
leaf blight OF pear and ounce, begin in March
and spray every three weeks until August |.
1t will be seen that not many sprayings are re-
Quired, and that the cost is Insignificant when
compared with a heavy yield of perfect fruit.
There is one item in the cost OF spraying yet
to be considered-the pump. good pump
you not TO buy a lOw-priced pump, by
which mean one costing 500 or 800 You
cannot reasonably expect to get q serViceahle
pump for that amount. And you can rest as
sured that you will not get such pumr
unless you pay reasonable price for il
OF all the veXatiouS things in the world, Q
spraying pump that will not spray deservedy
stands near the head. Inferior pumps thai
would not work or that would not do good work
have done more than all things else TO retarC
the spread OF spraying and the constant freeing
of our orchards and vineyards from insects and
fungi. For spraying vines, shrubs, etc,
knapSaCk Sprayer is best and o good one car
be got for from Sl2 to SIS For spraying trees
a Barrel Pump is required, and good one car
be- got for from SIP to Sl3 up. Some complete
Tank Sprayers sell as high as S75, and are Wortl
II, A good pump used with reasonable car,
and stored properly when not in use viii las
for years, so that the pump adds scarcely any
thing to the cost Of spraying.
Finally, what do we accomplish by spraying
Doubtless you are familiar with the reports o
experimental stations and especially with thu
reports of the Department OF Agriculture, anC
without doubt this intelligent body reads horti
cultural papers; hence there can hardly be any
question among you that by spraying we cal
prevent the ravages among our fruits of thos
insect pests and fungOuS diseases that haV,
proved so destructive But, while | have tn
greatest confidence in the experimental worl
Of the Department of Agriculture and Of GU
State experimental stations, l much prefer Il
have the experience OF actual, practical frui
growers, whose experience covers not a few
feet. but acres. and who must pay for their ex
pcrienCe out Of their own pockets, hence ar
apt to be conservative and safe in their con
clusions. l apprehend thatyOu are OF the SAM
disposition. Hence l will quote from a YER
few of the letters ! have received from fruit
growers in this state. l have letters from
above 1000 fruitgrowers that tried sprayin,
| the past season, and their universal teStimOn
is that it accomplishes all claimed for it. Blu
| time fOrbidS that l should quote from NOR
| than half dozen of these letters.
Says Isaac Smalley lila, Mercer Co, Mo.
| Il was too wet to give il a fair trial. W
| never got TO spray but once on our trees. w,
| sprayed about coo trees and the apples lool
! me. Apples lett unSprayeu IN the orchard ar
| fun of worms can't recommend il to
! highly"
H. w. Sherman Neosho Co: Il received tw
| wagon loads from an orchard yesterday tina
! was sprayed and there was not o peck {
| wormy or spcclIed fruit in the two loads.
| purchased the fruit from the same orchard las
! car. which was not sprayed, and there wa
! nrt over three bushels Of sound fruit to III
| DAD"
Thomas Johson. Macon, Macon Co.. :
| sprayed about 600 apple trees The fruiti is fin
| and almost entirely free from worms. / have
| few trees that on account OF location neglected
| to spray and the apples on those trees are badl,
| injured on account Of worms
| A. ]. Park Virginia, Bates Co.: II sprayed
over l,UOO Wild Goose plum trees. All parties
using my plums were led to remark that the.
I'D not find any worms in the plums, as the
lid In other plums of the same kind. l fount
put Few under my trees that had fallen of from
/ being stung."
| w. A. HuntSman, Lawson Ray Co: "Ol
| trees sprayed this spring the apples are yer!
much nicer than those not SPRAYED; only abou
one-fourth as many wormy apples on them a
/ on those did not spray"
Llndon Marts, Groyedale, Maries Co; "Gavt
| my orchards three sprayings. The fruit is fin,
/ NVh la