Smyrna times., 1904-06-15
NTERESTING FARM NEWS
CLEANED HERE AND THERE
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS THAT CAN BIZ
APPLIED WITH SPLENDID SUCCESS.
The Sare Of Live Stock, the Cultivation Of
Crops and the Latest Methods Used 10
Raising and Caring for Poultry.

Raising and Caring fOr Poultry
Experimental sprayings Of potatoes
with fungicides and other compounds
have been conducted at this station
each summer for fourteen years. Dur
ing this time large number Of prep
arations have been tested and nothing
equal to bordeaux arsenical mixture
has been found for use in the latter
part of the season. The gains from
the right use of this mixture have
been large on the average and are
chiefly attributable to the prOlOngation
Of the life of the foliage into the au-
tumn through protecting it from both
fungOus and insect ravages.
In general two applications Of the
mixture have proved most profitable.
Owing, however. to the late appear
ance of the blight in 1903 and the fact
that it's development was checked by
continuous dry weather in early Sep
tember a single application of the mix
ture, about the 10th of August, proved
sufficient for the preservation Of most
OF the foliage from blight On heavy
soil there was some rot where the
plants were sprayed only once, but the
crop in the main field of the station
farm, which was a sandy loan, three
and One-half acres in extent, thus
sprayed once, retained its foliage in
good shape well through September
and yielded over 1,2OO bushels of mar
ketable potatoes with practically no
rot.
No unsprayed rows were left in this
field, but in a smaller one on higher
but somewhat heavier soil records
were obtained. This field was planted
with the Green Mountain variety
about May l and given one thorough
application of bordeaux mixture on
Aug. 10. The plots were dug Sept. "a.
The unsprayed tops had been dead for
some two weeks, while at least 30 per
cent of the foliage was still alive on
the sprayed tops. The sprayed and
unsprayed portions were carefully Sc
lected with a view to uniformity. Each
lot consisted of four rows fifty-eight
feet long. The total yields calculated
in bushels to the acre are as follows:
Sprayed, 392 bushels per acre; un-
sprayed, 2Sj bushels per acre; increase
in total yield as a result of spraying,
107 bushels.
This gain was not as large as it has
been in seasons when the blight has
come earlier and progressed more rap
idly. On the other hand, under such
conditions two or even three sprayings
are required to preserve the foliage un-
til the maturing of the crop. The gain
of 124 bushels per acre as the result Of
a single timely spraying represents a
Iai i:gNr gain in proportion to the cost
than we have heretofore recorded.
We learned of cases where potato
growers sprayed their plants twice last
season in July and secured but little
benefit for the simple reason that by
the time the blight was destructive, the
latter half of August, their plants were
unprotected.
Our experience again serves to en-
phasize sharply the point we have re-
peatedly made, that in order to spray
what he is spraying for, watch his
crop and spray intelligently as we'll as
thoroughly. To paraphrase the old say
ing. a spray in time saves the crop.
Timeliness is an important factor in
success-that is, pays richly to use
thcughtfulness, thoroughness and time
Illness.