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

but everybody does not know that
there was caterpillar lounging on
that leaf. Every living thing has lis
enemies, which seeks its destruction
from the time 1t comes into the world.
This struggle for existence Is not con-
fined to man alone, but ii is enforced
among Gods lower creatures 10 a far
greater degree.
When the Pilgrim Fathers first
landed in America, they Were 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 10 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 be seen without mag
niiying glass.
The subject of spraying growing
fruits ana vegetables, 10 any one but
farmer or an agriculturalist NAV
seem rather u dry ANA vague one, yet
there are thousands who are really in
Ierested in ii. Every man wants the
best wines and vegetables on his table
every woman wants the prettest flow
ers IN her garden, and every child
loves perfect apple or orange, so they
are all interested n spraying, for with
out u, these things cannot lie grow Il
IN any great degree of perfection.
Shrubs, vegetables and all growing
fruits have hundreds of insects waiting
10 destroy them on their first appear
auce. As orchards and fields Increase
in proportion, The insects which feed
deed, every new plant II seems brings
a new pest to destroy il. Farmers to-
day have rot 10 fight these insects, aud
the only successful way is to spray
them with poison. Even though a
farmer has only few fruit trees,
grapevines or small garden, a dollar
invested in spraying outfit VIII give
him better crops and earn iol him
many times the money expended.
Insects can he killed in TWO ways
by lui>ons which they eat aud ~ poi
sons winch touch thelr bodies Fake
for Instance, the potato UU-, winch
ranks among the most destructive OF
piaut-eaters. This insect not only de-
struNe p t.to vines la feeds a well
upon tomato Plaut>, egg plants aud the
young leaves of some flowers. Potato
bugs, curraut worms, curculio tent
cateTpillars and such insects rs feed
upon the outside of plants can be de-
struyed by such Insecticides Is London
puppies, white arsenic, Paris green or
helleboue. Paris green, although very
poisonous, Is the SureSt method AMI IL
Is not So likely 10 hurt the foliage as
some of the other materials Paris
green Is 4 red form OF arsenic and uSu-
ally comes Ia pound packages Oue
pound of Paris green Is sufficient 10
poison two hundred gallons Of water,
and this should be thrown on the
plants with q fiue even spray.
Hellebone Is vegetable product and
is perfectly harmless. Ii may ue used
upon plants shortly before ripeuug
without harm 70 the fru.t. such in
sects as apple aAhianS, chiuch bugs.
red spiders and bark lice, eau te test
destroyed by external contact with the
poisous. Que Of tue best mixtures for
this purpose Is Kerosene emulsion.
There are several receipts for masking
il, but the best one i the following:
Two quarts Of hot water. enc plut of
Kerosene and one quart Of >oit soAp.
Mix well ami add about eight quarts
of cold water before using.
Those unnatural growJlS 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 aud entirely destroyed
The best thing known 10 destroy these
spores is copperaS, bu, it should oe used
as soon IS possible after noticing the
deadly work of these llltle worms
Before trees aud shrUbbery have start
ed IN the spring, suphate Of copper
may be used 10y dlSSolVlng one pound
IN twenty gallons Of water Blu. rs-
member, that this mixture must never
be put upon the foliage. - il strength
Is beyond their eudurAnce. Another
good receipt for killing the fungi :
:" lat Is called the Bordeaux mixture.
II is made of blue vitTo.. l.me and
water. Receipt for making : - fo.-
lows: Dissolve in one gallon u lo.
water, six pounds Of copper sulphs,e
lblue vitrOl aud use nothing but :
wooden vessel Sake tour pounds Of
quicksilver IN fifteen gauous Of hot
water and sdd The copper solution.
Dilute this 10 Twenty-Five gallons u
water before using aud either allow
the coaTSer Particles Of lime 10 settle
or strain before using. Those fruits
which ale NEST benefited by spraying
are apples pears, ounces piums. cur
rants, grapes aud Strawberries. 0Usu-
ges are sprayed more than any other
fruit but while they are no, found iu
our Maryland orchAd>, tat very .ittle
need be said abou. them.
Fine fruit aud abundaut crops psy
hundred f.ld for this little trouble
The worst disease Of the apple trse j.
SCab. Il works upon the fruir sud
leaves 10th and treatment should oe-
gin before the buds burst by spraying
with salphaJe Of copper. When the
fruit has sci they should be treated
Wlth The Bordeaux mixture, ana later
on with ammonia compound Trees
treated IN this manner have better and
larger fruit, and bear abundantly.
while the foliage Il beautiful.
CurFicUlo i the most serious enemy
oi peaches, spricots and pears. Plums
may De sprayed with Paris green
when the blossoms have fallen. Rain
Is likely 10 wash the poison of, accord
ingly, ifpoSsible, spray the trees after a
shower. Grapes ase not troubled
much with insects. although in some
seasons black-roi and milldew does
them great harm. The Bordeaux mix
tuFe is the best for the black-rot, and ST.
Ter the first OF July, solution Of Paris
green Is the best aud most effective OF
poisons. Mix the same As foregoing ne
ceipt and apply 10 the vines lightly.
Spraying Is no longer an experiment.
but necessity, and fruit Taisers aud
gardeners have proven how il pays.
These pumps only cost 4 few dollars