The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1895-05-31
SPRAYING PLANTS.
An Interesting Description of the
Method ana Mixtures Employed
to Destroy Harmful Insects In
the Orchard and Garden.
written for the Citizen.)

from the time 1t comes into the world.
This struggle for existence is not con-
fined to man alone, but it is enforced
among Gods lower creatures 10 far
greater degree.
When the Pilgrim Fathers first
landed in America, they We're surround
ed by savage Indians and wild beasts,
which made farming extremely diff
cult and dangerous. Now there are no
Indians TO speak Of yet farming Is no
easy task, owing To the wild beasts
which invade the land, not in the
form of panthers and other huge mon
sters, but tiny flying insects, some of
which cannot oe seen without mag
nifying glass.
The subject of spraying growing
fruits and vegetables, to any one but
farmer or an agriculturalist, may
seem rather dry and vague one, yet
there are thousands who are really in
Ierested in it, Every man wants the
best wines and vegetables on his table
every woman wants the prettiest flow
ers IN her garden, and every child
loves perfect apple or orange, so they
are all Interested IN spraying, for with
out II, these things cannot he grown
IN any great degree of perfection.
Shrubs, vegetables and all growing
fruits have hundreds of insects waiting
TO destroy them on their first appear
ance. As orchards aud fields increase
III proportion, the insects which feed
upon them have multiplied, and in
deed, every new plant II seems brings
a new pest to destroy it. Farmers to-
day have got to fight these insects, aud
the only successful way is TO spray
them with poison. Even though
farmer has only few fruit trees,
grapevines or "A small garden, a dollar
invested III spraying outfit viii give
him better crops and earn Tor him
many times the money expended.
Insects can be killed in two ways
10y poisons which they eat aud 10y poi
SONS winch touch their bodies. Fake
for instance, the potato bu-, when
ranks among the most destructive of
plant-eaters. This insect not only de-
stroys p tdtu wines, hu feeds as well
upon tomato plants, egg plants and the
young leaves of some flowers. Potato
bugs, currant worms, curculio, tent
caterpillars and such insects AS feed
upon the outside of plants can be de-
stroyed by such insecticides rs London
puppies, white arsenic, Paris green or
hNhANbphNs "a - SiNNbi dlillohHu WY
poisonous, is the surest method and il
Is not so likely to hurt the foliage as
some of the other materials Paris
green is red form Of arsenic and usu-
ally comes in pound packages One
pound of Paris green is sufficient to
poison two hundred gallons of water,
and this should be thrown on the
plants with a tine even spray.
Hpllphnua is "a NauptahIa ,,rpIuat apt
is perfectly harmless. 1t may be used
upon plants shortly before rpenng
without harm To the fruit. Such ill.,
sects as apple ahhians, chinch bugs,
red spiders and bark lice, can he best
destroyed by external contact with the
pOsous. One of the best mixtures for
this purpose is Kerosene emulsion
There are several receipts for making
ii, but the best one is the following:
Two quarts of hot water, one pint of
Kerosene and one quart of soft soap
Mix well and add about eight quarts
of cold water before using
Those unnatural growths which feed
upon and destroy cultivated plants are
called fungi. Ii the spores from which
they grow are destroyed in time, they
can be checked and entirely destroyed
The best thing known to destroy these
spores is copperas, but it should be used
as soon as possible after noticing the
deadly work of these little worms.
Before trees and shrubbery have start
ed in the spring, sulphate of copper
may be used by dissOlving one pound
in twenty gallons Of water. But re-
member that this mixture must never
be put upon the foliage, rs its strength
is beyond their endurance. Another
good receipt for killing the fungi is
:" lat is called the Bordeaux mixture.
1t is made of blue vtrol, lime and
water. Receipt for making is as fol-
lows: Dissolve in one gallon of hot
water, six pounds of copper sulphate
tblue vitroD and use nothing but a
wooden vessel. Stake tour pounds of
quicksilver in fifteen gallons of hot
water and add the copper solution.
Dilute this 10 twenty-five gallons of
water before using and either allow
the coarser particles Of lime to settle
or strain before using. Those fruits
which are most benefited by spraying
are apples pears, ounces, plums, cur
rants, grapes and strawberries. Dram
ges are sprayed more than any other
fruit, but while they are not found in
our Maryland orchads but very little
need be said about them.
Fine fruit and abundant crops pay
hundred fold for this little trouble
The worst disease OF the apple tree is
scab. 1t works upon the fruit and
leaves both and treatment should be-
gin before the buds burst, by spraying
with sulphate of copper. When the
fruit has set they should Toe treated
with the Bordeaux mixture, and later
on with ammonia compound Trees
treated in this manner have better and
larger fruit, and bear abundantly.
while the foliage is beautiful.
Curriculo is the most serious enemy
OF peaches, Gpricots and pears. Plums
may be sprayed with Paris green
when the blossoms have fallen. Rain
is likely to wash the poison of, accord
ingly, ifpossible, spray the trees after
shower. Grapes are not troubled
much with insects, although in some
seasons black-rot and milldew does
them great harm. The Bordeaux mix
ture is the best for the black-rot, and af-
ter the first of July, solution of Paris
green is the best and most effective OF
poisons. Mix the same as foregoing re-
ceipt and apply to the vines lightly.
Spraying is no longer an experiment,
but necessity, and fruit raisers and
gardeners have proven how it pays.
These pumps only cost few dollars
and are not only useful for this pur-
pose, but can be used for washing
windows, watering gardens, putting
out fires, washing carriages add many
other things which we may need to do
every day. Those who have large or