The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-02-22
HOW BEST SPRAYING
OUTFIT IN U. 5. IS USED

1t Is said that Mlss0urlans nave
to be shown but evidently some
other persons are constituted the same
way, for in December field meeting
of fruit growers of Pennsylvania was
held in the orchard of DR.. j. f. Funk,
Boyertown, Pa. DIR. Funk is state
pomologist of Pennsylvania, and is a
graduate physician, but now makes a
psecialty of growing fine fruit.
The meeting was held for the pur-
pose of showing the visitors how to
make and apply the lime-salt- sulphur
mixture for San Jose scale. This pest
is very prevalent in parts of the Key
stone state, and notwithstanding much
has been published on the subject, 1t
was thought best to hold this field
meeting and have an actual demon.
stration of how the mixture should
be made and applied.
The day was ideal-one of those
bright, sunshiny days, just cool
enough TO be pleasant. The fruit
growers and farmers took advantage
of it, and by 10 a. N. the DOCTORS fine
orchards we're thronged with represen-
tative horticulturalists from Pennsyl-
vania, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware,
New Jeresy and New York. The
unanimous verdict of those who saw
the demonstration is that DIR. Funk
has the most complete plant and the
best methods of extermining the San
Jose scale and other insects and fun
gus diseases of fruit trees yet discov.
cred and put to practical use in this
country. As one of those present re-
marked, "He is the Luther Burank of
the East, and wizard in the science
of horticulture.
Such thing as an off year is un-
known at the Paragon Fruit Farm,
whether in peaches, pears, apples or
other fruits. They come into bearing
at very early age, with an annual
increase in quantity, and of highest
quality. The trees are unusually
healthy, one peach orchard planted in
the spring of 1902 is a model OF
beauty, the trees having an average
top diameter of fifteen feet, and have
produced at three and half years
two crops aggregating four baskets
per tree.
In these orchards spraying Is done
three and sometimes four times per
year, the first being with lime, sui
phur and salt while trees are dor
mant; the later sprays are Bordeaux
mixture with an arsenite.
The Mixing Plant.
The spray plant consists of com
modioua building put up for the pur-
pose on a side hill, with driveway
at lower side, where wagon with
spraying tank is filled. Over this
driveway is large platform by 20
feet, where materials are kept and
scales for weighing. Next to the
drive is an elevated platform Z feet
high and G feet wide, on which are
two large mixing tanks; back of this
is another elevated platform 3l6 feet
high by 81 feet wide, on which are
four cooking tanks, where all the ma
terials are cooked by steam furnished
by I5 h. p. boiler, which is situated
in the rear Of the last platform. From
this boiler a one inch pipe Is carried
along the roof over the tanks, and at
each tank a half inch pipe extends
out and down into the tank. This
extension has L and two five inch
perforated nipples for distribution of
steam and at the same time agitates
tho mixture and saves stirring. 1t is
further supplied with two swinging
joints. This permits the folding up
of pipe and holding it out Of the way
when not In use. There IL also
track above and In front of cooking
tanks on which clutch pulley which
is attached to the barrel in which the
sulphur is made to a paste Is carried
forward to any one Of the tanks and
poured in also large vat at left end
and above the tanks; this Is always
full Of boiling water. The beauty Of
this plant is everything is done by
gravity from the time the water leaves
the well until it goes as spray on
the trees, and never touches bucket,
therefore doing away with all slop.
Promptly at 10 o'clock the decor
commenced the demonstration, weigh.
ing out Al pounds of good fresh stone
lime, "a pounds of flowers Of sulphur
mot flour of sulphur). This Is rubbed
through sieve made of wire cloth to
break up the Jumps. Then he weigh
ed 10 pounds of salt.
The water being boiling, the sui
phur was put into barrel connected
with the clutch pulley, and boiling
water being added while being mixed
TO first smooth paste, then to a thin
slop. The lime was now dropped
into one of the mixing tanks contain
ing about l3 gallons Of boiling water.
This Immediately commenced shaking
with great noise and intense heat.
The sulphur was nov run forward and
dumped into the seething mass, and
silky pounds pressure of steam turned
on. AS this was cooking the doctor
gave explanation, every few minutes
showing the changes Of color and ex-
planning the chemical action taking
place, urging the Importance of hav-
ing the proper combination, the fail
ure of which is the cause of such un.
satisfactory results. After continu-
GUS boil for forty minutes the beauti-
ful olive green tint was shown, with
the rich odor of an antiquated egg.
This was then diluted by running
boiling water in until the cooking tn b
was fill, when, by opening a gate
valve in bottom of tank, the liquid
was run through Ia inch pipe
through sieve into the large gradu-
ated mixing tank on lower platform.
1t was then further reduced by cold
water from hydrant from an under
ground cistern on higher ground until
tank showed 100 gallons. 1t was then
run through another gate valve and
- inch pipe through sieve, 20
mesh per inch, into the spray tank on
wagon, and team started for the trees.
The sprayer used was IA Niagara gas
sprayer OF latest pattern. This was
equipped with two lines of hose each
30 feet long; two extension poles,
one having six noz2les and one with
four nozZles, This machine is run by
carbon dioXide gas. The gas was
turned on and in thirty seconds the
doctor had pressure of ll0 pounds.
This was maintained, throwing the
material with hiss through the trees
in a perfect mist and with such rapid
ity that the tank can be emptied in %
minutes. The nozzles used we're the
fine Vermorel.
This was done to show power and