The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-11-18
REMEDIES FOR POTATO BLIGHT
AND GRAPE ROT.

such an extent that not over one-thlrd
of an average crop is harvested any
where, and many large growers are
leaving their fields u~nharvested be-
cause the sound potatoes are not
numerous enough to pay the cost OF
the harvest.
In Ireland itself the crop has proved
almost an entire failure on account OF
blight, and famine seems inevitable.
In our local markets the tuber will
be higher this winter than it has been
for years. A disease which can
such serious and widespread disaster
is worthy serious attention. The dis.
covery of a cheap, effective and easily
applied remedy for the blight is a mat
ter of no small Importance to our peo-
pie since the Irish potato has in many
sections become a profitable crop.
Prof. Gerald Mccarthy, of the
North Carolina Experiment Station,
has published in No. IL, Vol. 6 of the
Journal of Mycology, recently issued
by the u. s. Department of Agricul-
ture, two papers giving the results OF
several years experimentation by Ger
man scientists with different remedies
for potato blight and grape rot. Ac-
cording to these papers the use OF
preparations of copper sulphate (blue
stone) against the blight has proved a
brilliant success in Germany. The
fungicides which were found to be
of most value in this connection are
two in number, and made as follows:
BORDEAUX MIXTURE.
Copper sulphate 6 pounds, quick
lime 6 pounds, water &c gallons. Dis
solve the copper sulphate in 20 gal
Ions of clean water. In another vessel
slake the lime in 6 gallons of water
and stir until all Jumps are dissolved,
then strain the lime slowly until the
copper sulphate solution, stirring the
latter constantly until all ebulition has
ceased. Then use it at once. If kept
longer than two days it is not so good
o so easy to apply.
COPPER SODA MIXTURE.
Copper sulphate a pounds, wash.
ing soda 81 pounds, water 26 gallons,
The copper sulphate and soda are to
be dissolved in separate vessels, using
20 gallons of water for the copper
and 6 gallons for the soda. When
both'substances are dissolved, the soda
must be strained and stirred into the
copper solution. Then use immedi
ately, as after being kept for "a hours
the copper and soda crystalize out and
settle to the bottom of the vessel.
In the German experiments re-
ported by Prof, Mccarthy, these mix
lures were applied twice, the first
time while the vines were in full
bloom and again after six weeks. Be.
sides the two mixtures above described
the German experimenters used sew
eral others, but nom gave such salts
factory results as these. From SO TO
70 gallons of the mixture was each
time applied to one acre of vines.
The weather was wet during the
growing season, yet the plots sprayed
with these mixtures at the beginning
of September were still green with
large and fine vines, while adjoining
plots not sprayed were completely
withered and dead. At harvest it
was found that the plot sprayed with
the Bordeaux mixture yielded three
fourths of a full harvest of sound
tubers which were small but very
solid, and no diseased tubersl we're
found among them. The plot sprayed
with the copper soda mixture gave a
full average yield of sound tubers,
besides some which were diseased but
not rotten. The other plots yielded
from nothing to two ffths of a full
average yield. This shows that
spraying potato vines is profitable.
Commenting upon the above paper,
Prof. T. Greiner, in the Farm and
Flre8tde, says: Watching and pray
ing might have secured US good crops
in former years, but now we must
supplement these by working and
spraying AL intelligent potato
growers now recognize that spraying
for rot and blight has become inev,
liable and is I'VE more urgent than
applying poison for the Colorado
beetle. The sprayer has now become
as indispensable in the potato field as
it is in the orchard and vineyard, and
once in u possession we can use it
for applying remedies against beetles
and bugs as we'll as fungi"
A very good portable sprayer has
been devised by Prof. B T. Galloway,
of the United States Department of
Agriculture, and its parts and the way
OF using it are illustrated in the same
number of Journal in which Prof
McCarthy's papers appear. The N.
@. Experiment Station possesses n
of these sprayers and it's working was
exhibited by Prof. Mccarthy at the
Grape Fair, held at Mount Holly in
August. The sprayer costs SI4.
From the second of Prof. McCarthy's