SPRAYING FRUIT TREES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18267, 29 December 1924, Page 3

SPRAYING FRUIT TREES.

USE FOR SKIM MILK.

A new use for skim-milk has been discovered by the fruitgrowers of Port Albert, North Auckland. Last season a number of orchardists experimented with an imported casein spreader, ror use in spraying the trees, and were very well satisfied with the results. Knowing that casein was a by-product of skimmilk. a few of the growers tried slummilk itself this season, and the results so far have been satisfactory. The skim-milk was used with the combined lime-sulphur and arsenate of lead spray. It helped to keep the chemicals in suspension, and the mixture kept its colour well. It did not go so dark as is often the case when limesulphur and arsenate of lead are mixed. Used with arsenate of lead alone it made a verv fine spray, and after the spray had dried on the leaives it was very hard to see, as it had not run together in large drops. So far there has been less burning of the leaves where the milk has been used. The milk was used in varying proportions. One grower put two gallons to 40 of spray, while another put two gallons to" 70. There is room for experiment as to the most suitable proportion, also whether tho addition of lime is of value.