Vol. 15—1961 - NorthEastern Weed Science Society

460.
In our northern division, we contacted a commercial
spray~ng company and arranged a demonstration of its hydraulic
spraying apparatus. This unit has been used extensively
throughout New Jersey in roadside spraying for the control of
brush and broadleaf weeds. Our object was to test this unit's
apility to give a uniform distribution for a 30 foot wide swath.
To. measure the distribution, Petri dishes were placed at 5 foot
intervals, the closest being 5 feet from the truck, progressing
to 30 feet. The equipment used contained four nozzles mounted
on. the side of the truck, each one calibrated indiVidually by
pressure. 150 gallons of solution were used containing 5
gallons of maleic hydrazide. A total of three acres was treated.
The angles of projectory were manually controlled and set at
the discretion of the operator. The speed of travel was 5 miles
an hour. lie observed that the operator had difficulty holding
the spray pattern .consistent. The nozzles directed at distances
of 15 feet and 30 feet were reletively unstable, and breaks
occurred in the spray pattern at these locations. This difficulty
was caused by environmental winds and gusts created by pas~ing
traffic.. The break in the pattern becomes obvious as we review
the table below.
Distance of Petri Parts Per Million Pounds Active
Dishes from Truck Maleic HydraZide Maleic HydraZide
5 112 3.2
10 160 4.6
15 64 1.8
20 22 0.6
25 39 1.1
30 67 1.9
Average is 2.2 pounds active maleic hydraZide per acre.
NOTE: Petri dish - 0.35 square feet each.
The Petri dish is not an accurate system of measuring
distribution, but it is a method of measvring.
No definite conclusions could be reached, but we can assume
that this unit could be used for spraying maleic hydrazide
effectively and uniformly for distances up to 25 feet. No
record was kept regarding the inhibition of grass, although
inhibition was evident throughout the season.
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