Middletown transcript., 1908-03-14
THE SPRAYING CAMPAIGN

4 35e AnA< al N114t4 &f1ttA1 hks3iN
It isa curious fact thae the majority
| of fruit growers have not yet learned to
spray. Probably clear majority OF them
do not spray at all. Yet the financial
i profit in spraying has been so often and
SO clearly demonstrated that nothing re-
mains to be said on that point. The
nonsprayers merely excuse themselves,
usually very lamely, by saying they
haven't time, they grow only little fruit,
other business presses them or some
thing equally tame or indoIent.
Those who have at heart the interest Of
the whole farm population are often puz-
zled TO know what to do in the face Of
this indifference. Shall vigorous mis-
sionary campaign be kept up amongst the
unregenerate? Or shall they be left to
their certain fate? Viewing the case
from certain angle, it might seem better
for the active, progressive, spraying fruit
growers to leave their careless competitors
to go out Of fruit growing as fast as codl-
moth and scab fungus can do their work;
but more literally understood, the duty
and the interest OF the progressive
man combine to urge him to his
lazy neighbor's conversion. For,
as in the field OF morals, the right
eous man will find condemnation and
injury from bis unrighteous fellows, SO in
the field of horticulture, the best fruit
grower finds bis business injured by his
unprogessive competitors TIE lazy man
grows fungi and insects for all the country
round; and bis poor fruit damages the
market more than the competition of four
times the quantity Of prime stuff.
By all means let US keep after the man
who doesn't spray, and turn as many OF
them as possible into the hard and narrow
way that leads by the lime-suIphur barrel
and the Bordeaux tank.
But in spite of the Indifference OF the
Indifferent and the laziness OF the lazy,
Improvements continue to be made Sub
stantial advancement occurred during
1907, and the improvements are being
adopted by the best growers with an
ayidity never seen before. The rapid
adoption of power sprayers was one Of
the features of the season Of 1907. In
this field the gasoline engines led easily,
with the gas sprayer and the compressed
air machines following at reasonable
pace. Even the traction machines held
their own in the fiat orchards OF Illinois
and Indiana. Evidently the power ma
chimes are now perfected to point where
they are entirely practicable for farm use.
They are not yet quite fool.proof and
cannot be safely trusted to cheap and
ignorant labor !. but for that matter, spray
ing never can be made wholly automatic.
"a good deal Of brains will always be re-
quired in every equipment.
Bordeaux mixture, which has long
held undisputed primacy amongst spray
solutions without undergoing any special
change or improvement, has had to bear
a searching re-investigation during the
last year. More complaint than ever has
been heard about Bordeaux injury. The
general opinion seems to be that the
solution must be made weaker than for
merly. This opinion. recently reinforced
by various careful experiments, has been
gaining ground among practical men for |
some years. Additional impetus is lent |
to the movement for weaker Bordeaux
mixture by the constantly increasing price
of copper sulphate.
Another advance step seems to have
been made in passing from soluble oils
to "miscible oils, which. has also been a
striking feature OF the year just past. Just
what this change means can not now be
told. but it promises to make the oil
sprays both cheaper and more effective at
q single stroke. In spite ofimproyements
and OF many good local results with oils,
however, the verdict of 1907 unquestion-
ably stands in favor OF lime-sulphur as the
medicine for San Jose scale. Oils give rel
atiyely better resultsin the southern states
where mild weather permits winter spray
but even there many of the most careful
ing men have decided to insist on lime
sulphur and accept no substitutes.
The popularity Of lead arsenate as an
insecticide has also plainly increased in
recent times Its superior staying power
gives it permanence over Paris green;
and as it is less liable to iniure foliage
there is no good reason why it should not
be generally adopted as the leading ra-
ton for chewing insects.