The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1897-04-07
DO YOU SPRAY?
The Only Way to Get Perfect Fruit,
Best Formulas, Best Time,
Best Apparatus, Etc.

A careles use OF strong spraying mix.
lures is fr, quently as harmful as the in
sects and fungi whose destruction il
sought. Hence the need OF caution in
preparing and applying.
| Before the buds open solution of cop
per sulphate freely applied to trees and
vines destroys many OF the spores (seeds)
OF fungi that winter on the wood, thus
rendering the fruit and leaves less liable
to attack. For trees and grapevines dis
solve one pound Of the copper sulphate
| (blue vitriol) in fifteen gallons of water
For peach and nectarine trees use twen-
ty-fve gallons OF water.
The principal preparation for destroy
ing fungi is the Bordeaux mixture. The
active agent in this is the salt OF copper
it contains. II used too strong or made
s that the proper chemical combination
does not take place, the foliage is brown
ed or the young fruit is injured.
The plain copper sulphste solution will
kill fungi, but will also kill all tender
and fruit growth as well. 1t must, there
fore, be much diluted and changed in
composition. To do this lime and more
water are added.
To prepare the Bordeaux mixture
right use six pounds copper sulphate,
four pounds OF lime and f,rty gallons OF
water. Fix in memory the figures Ga. 40
and you have it. In making always use
wooden vessels. Into one put four gal
Ions Of water and suspend in it, coarse
bag, near the surface, six pounds of cop
per sulphate into the other put the four
pounds OF lime, newly burned, not air
slaked) and slake ii 10y pouring in little
water. Keep it stirred about in the wa
ter, and when it warns up aud begins to
crumble, pour in more water and stir
briskly and do not allow it to dry-slake,
or its usefulness will be destroyed.
When slaked add enough water to make
four gallons in all. Careful experiments
show that the b. st way to get these two
Ingredients together, so that a perfect
chemical union will take place, is to pour
them in two streams together into bar
rel, stirring briskly all the while. Con.
tinue to stir until the mixture shows a
uniform dark blue color. Before apply
ing add thirty-two gallons of water. 1t
may be left in its strong state and diluted
as needed, adding four parts of water to
one part OF the mixture.
The Bordeaux is effective against near
ly all plant diseases OF fungous nature.
But it must be remembered that fungi
quickly enter the Tissues and spread in
side the plant. A fungicide cannot do
this II is effective only ON the surface
and for this reason must be on the leaf
or ~ nit about as soon as the spores OF the
fungi, or even before. IL is, in fact,
chiefly useful as preventive OF disease.
As foliage develops rapidly in the spring
the new growth must be coated with the
protective mixture After heavy rains
the spra, ing must be repeated.
In spraying for biting and chewing in
sects. rs we'll as Tor fungi, 1t Is good
plan 10 add fonr ounces OF Paris green to
forty or iifty gallons Of Bordeaux When
the Bordeaux Is not used four ounces OF
the poison should be diluted with sixty
or sevsnty-dve gallons of water 1, sp
plying the weakest o utiou to peaches
or nsctarines quart of thick milk OF
lime lime wash should be added The
Farm Journal.