ORCHARD SPRAYING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 656, 5 November 1909, Page 8

ORCHARD SPRAYING.

■ ,-■, ; . the use of oils. +-y:%ii[ At the IVuitgrbwere'ConfefiSiiceonWedniißaay afternoon Mr, A. IT. Cockayno.(Biojpgist t^th" , :! Orchards division of the /Department of..Aijri-i culture) delivered an address on the mafiip\ila; tion of oils spraying, purposes. This: beJni; 'a comparatively recent development in: Orchard, j practice, a. good. deal, of ; uncertainty 1 .;, as ii.tp methods .exists, amongst, those ' interested , ,'!.; find Mr. Codlcayno's .r.euiarks, . whichoccupied...niprd. than an hour, and, we're of a;'h J ghly.■'teohnifcal.'| character, .\r.ere beard with great,,intercst; .. jf;;-" Mr. Qeckayne snid/that the use of bil wasij'es; was by .110 means general in ftcw Zealand; , : but , there was not the least doubt that they, would, , from year to year, occupy a mqrc, impertent , place in thei ■ economy' Of. the. cfchard. , lii'-ihe Nelspit district heavy oil washes might :.:be aiiil to be- used to the exclusion pf all other winter washes for scalp, insoctsi -bat■ ■ the ' ffie.thoda adopted for. their preparation were, far fi'pih perfect., Some. trees were thickly, coated, with , : oil; while others ■ close by had hardly any pn them,"showing that tho oil had not been piip-! pprly ■. held in suspension, an essential feature in. all good emulsions. In oil .washes as afc : pre, '.'. Seat prepared, tin excess pf oil had to-'na used;-! so as tb guarantee that npfle of. the trees would', receive too. -weak; a spray. Oil. washes might be classified' according to:their"use when thb trees "Sfore in a dormant stsrtsy or whenT.thfl were , in. foliage: The main summer (ill. sprajs that had been , used/in N.ew Zealand'wero kerosene emulsion aid. fish oil soap, :aM.,the heavy, oils wore generally resfricteflln.their.a{K plication to dormant trees.! Thegeneralprin;. ciples! underlying: the preparation of •oil.'wash w were, mainly the same for both, classes'iaf sprays. It was said that, oil' washes, especially', those.made with heavy oil,'.had much?-great* killing power, ■..β-spepially. against dormant/ ill- , .sect-life, such as the eggs of scale insects''anjd red mite (bryebid pratensis)-,- than , had '■•sttob/a" wash as lime, salt, and sulphur. Again; triogreat trouble of preparing li'm*, jphur. and its disagreeable caustic action qntfe , operator were factors which were hot t0..% fpund in oil •urashes. ■-■ ■ • ;-• '• ' ■.'.'.■:•.,■.■!. For, these reasons, continued Mr* ■Gpckayni), , it 'was not , surprising that the use , pf xils: weis rapidly gaining, favour with fruitgrowers.' Tie urgent ne.ed at present was to: .secure; method's of preparing, oil srjrays in tho easiest Land., in pfit. .effective 'thanner. This .branch bf the-.subject was then gone .into by Mr, Cockayne,'"different , hjethbds of emulsifying, oils fpr ■.spraying : !being described with'tho aid bf.dem.dnsfratib.nei.'The njethpji' fthich he favoured,, as.: ,, the result.'of investigation, was the /making of a liquid- soap emulsion; the. ■mixing.' of this-emulsibtf-'irith the bils to. form .a splubhi pjlv.and'.the-diln-tion of : 'the- solnble oil.-/with , .:the... reqnireii amount , of. water tb' .produce: certain■'■definifcj' percentages / of. bil- :, in-, the "■ spray-.. ■ The ;'exact ratio between the. ■ emnlsifier tod 'the ■'. oil i, hail . not yet .been .fully : :wprked ; out;V,lTwo : :. aoceSfbri't? emulsiticrs-rresin eitdv-ttater—•were 'al'sb-l)ronfrh't ; linder. ■notice , . Rosin pil ; had 'a remarkablii' actiph iri prompting the , omnlsification; of.Heavir oils. In., cpnclnsipiij ■ ■Kγ. ,'Gockarne. Baidi thai •the . practical value: pf. '■ the- methods Vhe-'Miacl de^lt'.with..had , yet .to bq proved, ■but/he. suKi , ■mitted; that hn .had. shown •■■.that' Vpresenj; nJethods 'pf emulsification'-were, .capable: , of ''coni" sidexable ,, i.mprpyoment.- :.V. ' '■]-'.' :■'.'■■ ':''':',! :■ During■ a. ihbrt;'discuSsfi)n, ;, -Jili:.iK : -;B; izarfli (btpko) .said, he , -was .particularly."-pleased; to' he.ar ..Mr. Ccckayne'e address, ■•■becauseKtli'e.- JDo-j partment iad'/hitherto. thrown :cdld ! -W the idea'■ of bil-sp'raying. '■'. :• ' "*}.:?■■"■'<•■■"s n M r% ?i W. <Kirk (Director, ofjvthe .Orchwds piviS!Pn).;,.exp.laihed , thatvthe' Department, had: been^aviag>..eiperitae , ntfl : -denducted : ri6r.iH;hei last tw.Q years, .-.■ but , -the.■■researches' were not. sufficiently to. -justify;.him ,,, ifi publishing .definite: .formulae; ■ ■•:■ Xi ;■■> X: ,i .. .Seve.ral delegates testified :to the great 'yalue ..of Mr, Coekayrie's, address,'.: atid.-'he -aci cordod-a' hear.ty..-vpte of' thanks.- ■•> :■ ■• - ■"','