News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1893-12-28

time.
Will colt do well in summer if fed
high in winter
Don't stop your grain feed at once;
when you turn out to grass keep it
up for some time.
Mr.. Beecher-Should horses be wat
cred before feeding grain or after
prefer to water before feeding.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The afternoon session was opened
by lecture on the Potato disease"
by Prof. L. R. Jones of the State ex-
pertinent station, who illustrated his
lecture by charts showing the diseases
of the potato plant. He spoke espe-
cially of three Giseases-scab, rust or
blight, and rust or rot. All of the
three diseases are the result of fun
gus growth. Fungus is a plant
growth, or rather plant of ITSELF
Incredible as it may seem, a single
leaf may and will furnish at least a
million seed bodies, each one of which
is capable of reproducing itself, and
by wind will be carried to the whole
field. When it strikes a field, in few
hours the leaves will begin to rust,
rot, and each leaf will furnish it's
myriad of seed bodies, which if car
ried down by rain to the tubes, will
cause them to rot and spoil. In this
way you will find the potatoes near
est the surface are the most affected.
In this way We may carry the disease
into our cellars, and the next spring
we carry the disease back to our fields
and replant it, by which the disease
is continued.
Now we have the secret of cure or
how to stop it. When the spores are
carried over the field by the wind they
fall on the top of the leaves, and by
spraying we can destroy the life of
the spores. The Bordeaux mixture,
by it's use in spraying, has added to
our yield at the experiment station
at least so per cent. as the smallest
result, and the highest result gave US
800 per cent. increase over the field
not sprayed.
Scab is also a disease and may live
in the soil for five years, even when
there are no potatoes planted during
that time. 1t is a simple process to
cleanse our seed potatoes and get
them free from scab. Battle your
seed potatoes in weak solution of
corrosive sublimate for an hour and
a half, having them clean to begin
with, and you will secure clean seed
potatoes.
Formula for Bordeaux mixture-5
pounds of blue vitrol and 5 pounds
of lime to a pound of water. Use
quick lime, for if air slaked lime is
used you may kill your vines. Stake
the lime in a small amount of water
and strain it off. An old door screen
is a good strainer. Besure you strain
out every lump. Dissolve the vitrol
in a dish of water and strain it off in
to the barrel of water. This is for
so gallons of water.
Cover all the top of your leaves
with this mixture and you have saved
your potatoes.
Question-Would you soak your
potatoes whole or cut =? Whole, al
ways.
Mr.. Beecher-Does it make any diff
ference in blight whether manure or
fertilizer is used? 1t is more liable to
blight when we use manure than when
we use commercial fertilizer.
How late in the season did you keep
your potato tops green ?
This year they were green till the
7th of October, and were then killed
by frost.
Mr.. Putnam-Will the old varieties
run out ?
Yes. We ought to change our seed
every three or four years.
Clement Smith-My experience in
raising potatoes shows that they are
the most profitable crop | can raise.
use a small amount of manure and
a liberal lot of phosphate. and last
year the blight did not affect them.
| do not plant deep but harrow the
field and use the horse hoe to bring
the dirt up around them and cover
them.
Prof. Jones said he preferred late
planting for profit. Adjourned
EVENING SESSION.
The meeting was opened by music
by the orchestra of Johnson, after
which Mr. Arms spoke of the "Agri-
cultural exhibit at the World Fair"
mentioning the leading State exhibits
and dwelling somewhat at length on
the position held by Vermont in the
dairy and live stockexhibits, in which
the speaker insisted, she led the world.
10. Sanford of the board spoke on
the subject of road making. Roads
are getting better every year, but
still they are not satisfactory and we
ask for something better yet 1t is
because other matters have got the
start of roads that the demand is SO
great for better highways.
Mr.. Newton-Do you consider the
road machine benefit as they are
now used
In some places they are not used at
all now and in other sections they |
are indispensable. consider heroad |
machine a useful machine.
What is the cheapest and best way
to fix sand roads in the absence of
stone
Round it up, keep the water out
and cover it with clay or gravel.
Mr.. N.-How can we fix clay pit
Can't you put stone in and make a
good road
Mr. N.--No. We have done it and
it's clay pit just the same. But put
in more stone and gravel and remove
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