Page 6

 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
      STOCK SOLUTION OF LEAD 
              ARSENATE 
   Prof. Watkins of the Illinois Uni- 
 versity offers a very valuable sugges- 
 tion in the way of a stock solution of 
 lead arsenate as follows: 
   Although arsenate of lead has many 
 good points in its favor as an insec- 
 ticide, it is for from being an ideal 
 product. Arsenate of lead which hais 
 dried out and become hard is quite 
 difficult to mix again with water, and 
 is not as easily kept in suspension 
 during the process of spraying. Inl 
 order to avoid this, manufacturers as 
 a rule have sold a product which is 
 about 50 per cent water. 'T'his has 
 led to some dissatisfaction, since dur- 
 ing transportation the paste has lo-t 
 water through evaporation, the pack- 
 age not being air-tight. If we were 
 to weigh the contents of the package 
 as soon as received, we would in all 
 probability find it to weigh son1m, 
 what less than it did when leaving 
 the factory, so even if we use the 
 material as received one time we may 
 be using a third more arsenate than 
 at others, owing to the degree of evap- 
 oration which has taken place. Also, 
 if a package is opened early in the 
 season, a small amount taken out and 
 used, the balance protected in nio 
 way from evaporation, it is quite pos- 
 sible that four pounds of the paste at 
 the close of the season will represent 
 five or even six pounds of it as it 
 left the factory. This is almost a 
 total loss since many experimenters 
 claim two pounds per fifty gallons to 
 be as effective as when three or even 
 more are used, and if fifty pounds are 
 purchased, with the expectation of 
 using it as recommended by the fac- 
 tory, it will be found to fall short of 
 that weight if means are not taken 
 to prevent evaporation. Why      not 
 avoid all of this by preparing a stock 
 solution of arsenate of lead as fol- 
 lows: Before it is time to use the 
 arsenate, take the contents of a 100 
 pound package, put it in a fifty gal- 
 lon barrel and work the whole mass 
 into a thin paste; when this is ac- 
complished add enough water to make 
the paste up to fifty gallons, then 
there will be a stock solution, two 
pounds in each gallon. But, better 
than that we need a powdered arsen- 
ate, then we will avoid paying freight 
on fifty pounds t of water every time 
fifty pounds of arsenate of lead are 
pit rehiased, and also be saved   the, 
trouble of working the thick paste io- 
to it thin one. Attention is called to 
the powdered form since it is a ,tep 
ini the right direction, and if the crst 
of it (ldos not prove prohibitive, I Ibe- 
lieve the solution  has been solved. 
since in every other way it gives as 
perfect satisfaction as paste formo. 
    THE OLD STRAWBERRY BED 
  Experieneid   lerry   growers  wilI 
please turn their face-s to the wall anid 
take a nap, this little sernion is only 
for the beginner. 
  A strawberry bed will bear wivll for 
at least ftur seasons if itropterly treat- 
ed after fruititig. 
  If your bed is like most litte gr- 
den beds it is merely a unat of vines 
covering the ground completely ex- 
cept holes here and there that yit 
iiade with your feet in picking. Per- 
haps it is not quite as bad as this. 
irerhaps you have thickly matted rows 
of plants about two feet wide and 
paths between. 
  fn either ease we want to get rid 
oif bitmi 95 per cent of the old bell 
and provide for a crop of new plants. 
  If you have the first kind of a bed 
dscrihed above select strips of plants 
ronning through the bed each about 
eight inches wide, three ant a half 
feet apart and cut out everythintg 
else. These strips or rows shoulh be 
outlined with garden line and stakes 
hefore beginning, then with a sharp 
hoe or spade slice off everything out- 
side of the lines. Next remove and 
burn the plants and weeds, cut out 
and spade spaces between rows. Last 
of all go over the plant rows left for 
renewal, clean out all weeds and grass 
and also about one-half of the plant-. 
leaving them   ahlout one foot apart 
and the remainder ought to send out 
rimners enough to furnish a gootd 
set for next year.   Keep bed clean 
auth cultivate uiitil ground freezes. 
  If your led is iin rows select yo,, 
renewal strip just alongside of the 
original row so as to get only miw 
year old plants for retvewal. 
         FOR THE BEGINNER 
  Tle stiawherry plants in the miev' 
ly set bed lutist not be allowed t, 
hItve their own sweet way. You ;-,i 
you r plants, iin April or early Ma y. 
ahbout two by three and oni-half or' 
four feet, and if you have kept th.. 
soil stirred and clean the plants are 
making lots of runners now and set 
ting mlw plants. If ytwiu are plantii, 
to lie a specialist, rtise prize berri,'. 
itt., vou will, of course, read up o,, 
all the fancy methods of hill culture. 
ete. I)o it if you want to, you wili 
get lots of expericn.e and somen bi 
ries. If you merely want just strait 
berries and lots of them at the lea-, 
expense allow all ritners to set th:1' 
grow' between the plants in the r',,, 
and for ia space of one foot on eithi 
side.  When anibitiotis runners i, 
Teedt their limitations kick them ba," 
inti lutitids with yori" foot or ('i 
tlheii off wvithu the hoe. If you shiri 
happen to get into some of our s, 
ciety Reports you may find whol 
6 
June, 1911 
LA PO}INT'IF, MAI)ALINE IsLAND, OPP'OSITE BAYFIEIA).