The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-04
FARM, FIELD, GARDEN.
Ezra Meeker on the Remedies
for the Hop Louise.
RECIPE FOR THE EMULSION
How Long to Spray-Too Much Foliage
1T Pays to String the Yards
Trimming the Vines.
From Ezra Meeker's New Handbook.

min, all parties are now agreed that the
whale-oil-soap-quassi emulsion Is the best.
1t Is the most thorough and withai harm
less as to damage of the foliage or even the
hops after being formed. In fact, We
sprayed in our Kent yards up to within a
few days of harvesting We do not, how
ever, advise the late spraying. only for the
cleaning out of the later deposits of the fly
to be found at the tops of the poles"
For fifty years English growers have sue
cessfully destroyed the thy QIce) with the
Guassia-whale-oil soap emulsion. A
member of this firm having visited the
hop fields of Kent, England. and from
personal observation gained the informa-
ton as to the methods adopted there to
destroy the lice, We did not hesitate to use
this remedy ourselves and advise others to
do so.
Notwithstanding the fair warning given,
many persons were inclined to and did try
other remedies to their great damage. as
mas been thoroughly demonstrated within
the past two weeks here in Puyallup and
White river valley. and now all agree that
this is the safest remedy of all tried.
To the end that our customers may not
make mistake we repubiish the formula
Tor making this emulsion.
Quassia chips and whaie-oil soap. as fol-
to six to eight pounds of wha!e-oil SOAP
100 gallons of water; steep the duassia
chips in thirty gallons of cold water about
i've hours, then add the soap.
We are asked repeatedly whether it is
best to continue spraying after the
hops are formed and whether spray
Ing at that time will injure the hops.
The answer to the first question depends
upon the condition of the yard. If neg
lected until the hops are formed and the
lice are numerous. it is in our opinion too
late. as by that time they are TO be found
in the burr where it is impossible to dis
lodge them, and one is most likely not
only to lose s crop but also his work and
material for spraying.
Where the attack is light and recent. the
case IS different and not only will the hops
not be injured by spraying but the proba-
biitv is the crop will be saved.
We would not advise making any change
insthe strength of the emulsion for late
spraying.
We know that as rule we have had
too much foliage to grow the best hops,
and in fact too much to grow the most
hops. Every grower doubtless has OBJ
served the light, chaffy. immature hops in
the punched hills" We have in recent
years practiced training two vines to the
pole with but one pole to the hilD in
strong land, and in some cases only one.
Finally when the pests came We cut off the
poles on part of the yard to nine and
half feet and put twine on at the top.
BY this arrangement, all punches of
foliage disappears, every part IS easily
reached by the spraver and every louise re-
ceives his portion of the medicine. Not so
where the foliage is thick. for in such cases
it is very difficult to reach the innermOst
leaves with the emulsion.
We have tested this matter so thor
oughly with twenty acres or more) last
L. 49,
more than 100 600 poles the coming win
ter. and string or wire al, our yards.
Another advantage is that we not only
protect ourselves from the ravages of the
lice, by getting them into position where
We can make target of them, but we like
wise protect our yards from destruction
by bleeding" from the effects of early
cutting of the vine near the ground.
Numerous growers have had practical ex-
perience in the way of missing hills from
this cause and greatly reduced yield from
those that barely escaped destruction. In
picking ''string" yard, the Irvine and
vine is cut at the top of each alternate
position for picking without necessitating
taking down the pole or cutting the vine
except at the top of the pole. The poles
should be nine and one-half feet long.
Another advantage is that as thorough
and effective work can be done with four
sprayings n a string yard as can be ac-
complished with eight where poles are
used and the hops are more or less
punched. We invite growers to visit these
yards before harvesting and see for them
selves where the hops are free from YER
min and yet not more than half the ex-
pense has been incurred in spraying than
has been in the adjoining yard where the
hops are on poles. This will reduce the
actual cost of spraying to less than 1 cent
per pound.
Formerly We have used poles sixteen
feet long; now we are cutting all old ones
down to, and making new ones
nine and half feet long and setting
them two feet deep. The poles should
be set before planting and never taken up
We do not now. as heretofore, allow a
wagon 20 go upon the yard but carry the
boxes to the outer edge OF the yard or to a
permanent roadway through 1t.
Some farmers have made their own
soap with good results. A. ]. Query, of
Alderton, Wash, harvested twenty tons
and eight hundred pounds off twenty
three acres. free from vermin and OF choice
quality, in the crop year of 1892. He
made his own soap and gives me the
formula rs TO how it was done. As his is
not now an experiment" but has passed
into the domain of experience" and as
tins gentleman is one ofthOse careful pains
taking farmers whom II Is safe to follow.
and as his word IS "as good as his bond"
! do not hesitate to publish il. though be
il said that the result was most remarka-
bic and contrary TO the experience of 9TH
ers who bought soap said 10 have been
manufactured the same way.
Mr. Query says: Take an ordinary iron
kettle and first measure out sixteen gall
Ions OF water and put IN eight pounds of
caustic soda tT6ia per cent. strength and
bring the water 10 the boiling point and
stir until the soda is dissolved; then heat
five gallons of whale oil in another vessel,
nearly to the boiling point. and thor
oughly mix the two together and soap
wuold appear at once, but boiled il about
an hour after mixing.
Then took forty five gallons of water
in which three pounds OF quassia had been
soaked while cold (not boied) and four
pounds of the soap, to make the emulsion.
but intend this year to make II a little
stronger with quassia. ! soaked the quas-
STA over several times. but aimed To have
as much as three pounds OF fresh quassia 20
every forty-live gallons OF water and used
fresh water each time, and all could get
vessels TO hold"
The cost Of this soap need not be to ex-
coed $40 cents per pound, AS 1t will
readily be seen that it is fully IS per
cent. water. Why II is that others
who purchased something similar TO
this failed To get like results, II il impos-
sbie 10 say unless IL Is that hen the lice
get age they are harder to Kill, but it IS
certain that many did fail, and ttributed
their failure 10 the poor quality OF the
II : equally certain thai those " no