Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-01-26
STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.


The Diseasrs OF rlnnts Discu'ssd by Prof'
Jonos at the Meeting in Jericho.
The State Board Of agriculture held
farmers institute at Jericho, in this county
Tuesday, which was quite well attended.
In tho evening Prof. H. l.. Jones OF the
University of Vermont spoke oD Diseases
of plants Illustrating his remarks by the
use of the stereopticon and from 20 to ~
lantern slides. Ho SAID that his subject was
ono which WAS OF vital interest, in that it
touched the pocket of every farmer. Plant
diseases are rife everywhere aud are quite
as virulent as those which infest animals.
The loss in this state eiono from plunt di-
seases reaches into the hundreds Of thous-
ands, perhap. into the millions yearly. Be-
cause of these losses the farmer must be-
come more or less OF speculator, depend
ing on the chances, whether his crops escape
disease or not.
During the past five years much import
ant worl; has heon done. time spent, ana
results obtained at tina various experiment
stations OF this country, upon the general
subject OF plant diseases.
The field is stil ripe FOR the harvest
and there is yet much to be learned,
but at least marked progress has been
made in arriving at a comprehensive
knowledge of the cause of such diseases as
poar scsb and blight, potato rot, rust and
blight, the smuts OF the various grains, etc.
We have learned that the admontion
"W hatsoever ye SOW that shall ye also
reap applies as well to tho spores of plant
dieeose sowH with the grain as to the gram
itself. This knowledge is worth much, for
in proportion as we gain knowledge we gain
power and ability to cope with disease
when it comes. Investigation has given US
remedies for such diseases az the mildevs
and rots of the grape, the potato blight and
rot, oat and wheat smut, the black scab OF
apple and pear and for the many minor dis
eases of garden, shrub and bush.
Plant diseases are OF two general kinds,
those caused by fungi and those which are
produced by the infection Of bacteria or
germs. The former are generally success
fully conbatted by the use of fungcideo, l..
e., fungus killers. The salts OF copper are
most widely used for this purpose and prove
most efficient, being applied in solution or
suspension in the form of O fine spray so as
to thoroughly snturate the diseased parts.
The bacterial diseases are usually more diff
| fult to combat, since tungicides do not prove
of much use and the application OF germicides
generally ends both plant aad disease. n
fair examp!e of these two classes Of diseases
OF the last few years. the blight, rust or rot,
! familiar to all, due to the ravages of a
parasitic plant or fungus called Phyto-
| phthora inlestans and in the newer bacterial
leaf rot which kills the plants but does not
rot the tubers.
Funsicides entirely check the first, but
are OF doubtful value applied to the second.
Prof. Jones then won't on to describe the
experiments on potatoes which hs has been
conducting during the past three summers
at the experiment station, showing views OF
| the various plots which he treated success
fully with fungicides for the prevention oi
| blight. He expects to deliver this illus
trated lecture at other institutes later in the
wiutsr, and the portion of his address which
has to do with the prevention OF potato
blight will be reported from some later
meeting