The Greeley tribune., 1907-08-08
THE BLIGHj |
TOMATO DISEASE AND SOL
REMEDIES BY PADDOCK
Coming Importance Of the CipE
Makes All Information on
Subject of Value to
Farmers

AS the tomato crop VIII IRON tQl
time on become an important one sil
the Greeley district because Of o.
coming of the Empson packing plan
all information on the growing 10
the crop will be Of interest here.
The following article on tomit(
blight has been prepared by Prpf
W. Paddock of the State Agrictl
tural college,:
1T is about this time of the YEA
that the blight Of tomatoes begin:
to be noticeable in the fields
Plants which have made q faifly
good growth gradually remain smAl
and ripens prematurely. Othel
plants die in the earlier stages soi
growth and, in fact. all sorts Of con
ditions may be seen in the field.
This disease is wide spread, and the
total loss to the growers Throughout
the state is large.
Investigations In regard to the
cause of the blight were begun 1t the
Colorado Agricultural college some
time ago and the result OF the work
points strongly to the following con.
clusions:
The disease is due to fungus,
which attacks the plants for the most
part In the seed bed. This being
the case, there can be no remedy for
the plant after 1t is once attacked.
This is true, for the reason that the
fungus grows on the inside of the
plants and evidently enters only the
rootlets Of young plants. By e1.
amining the tissuses of young plant
with a microscope, the. threads of the
fungus may be seen clogging the cells
where they interfere with the pas
sage of food material.
AT the present time, then, we
see no hope of ever being able to
combat this blight successfully in
the field. But we do hone to fiud a
method of prevention by improving
the sanitary condition of the seed
beds. With thia end IL ;visws vi
believe 1t will pay to thoroughly
clean and disinfect the frames OF
flats in which the seeds are planted.
This may be done by washing or
spraying all Of the parts after the
dirt and soil have been removed,
with strong solution of copper sui
phate. Then fresh soil and manure
should be procured, which should
also be sterilized. This can be best
done by steam. This may be done
at small cost by fitting up small
system of two.inch iron pipes which
are to be placed in the bottom Of a
bed made for the purpose. Three
ten or twelve foot lengths of pipe
will be ample, and small holes must
be drilled in them about six inches
apart to allow steam to escape. The
pipes are now placed parallel to each
other and connected at both ends. so
that they are about eighteen inches
apart. The apparatus may be con-
nected to traction engine or other
available source of steam supply.
Soil should be filed into the bed
over the pipes to the depth of about
one foot, then the surface covered
with gunny sacks or some similar
material. II steam is turned on for
an hour the low organisms will he
killed and plants which will be
practically free from blight should
be raised in soil which has been
treated in this manner.
While the experiments are by no
means complete 1t is believed that
any method which will control this
disease must be along the ines sup.
gested. The experiments now undar
way are being studied and the results
? Will be reported in due time"