Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-06-15
TELL HOW TO
FIGHT DISEASE
Professor Sanders Seeks to
Save Thousands of Bushels
of Potatoes Planted

going 10 waste, Prof. j. u. SANDERS,
economic zoologist. has issued the
following directions for combating
disease, 1t follow:
Suggestions to Potato Growers
The average yield of potatoes in
Pennsylvania last year <1916) was
40 bushels per acre. While under
more intensive methods of agricul-
ture the greatest potato-p producing
nation of the world, Germany, aver
aged for the five years (190S-12)
2O2 bushels per acre.
The chief reasons for this greater
| yield are.
THAT a greater amount of seed
Is planted per acre. We in Pennsyl-
Vania use from 10 to Is bushels of
! seed per acre, while German farm
ers plant 30 to % bushels of seed
per acre.
2-They also use commercial fer
tilizers and stable manure with more
intelligence than our farmers who
do not study carefully enough the
results of the records of experiments
conducted by the experiment sta
tions and books on, these subjects.
] S-More attention is paid to the
use of selected seed. and to seed
selection. 1t is possible to increase
our crops by this method.
4-More careful thought is given
to deep soil preparation, cultivation
and suitable rotations of crop than
in this country.
"a full stand of plants is essen
tial for full crop, but our farmers
do not pay sufficient attention to
this very important detail. They are
careless, while the German farmers
obtain complete stand by filling in
the vacant places in the rows.
Every Inch Needed
If Germany wins this war 1t will
be because of her efficiency. If the
| United States and her allies win it.
the farmers of this country will have
served as faithfully on their farms
producing food as the men bearing
arms in the trenches. The situation
Is serious as you no doubt know
from what you have read in the
newspapers.
This department is trying to in
| crease the crops of Pennsylvania.
Every bit of ground that can be
cultivated profitably should be plant
ed to the staple food crops. This
Office is particularly interested in in
creasing the crop of potatoes, and
this can be done by early planting
! of the main crop and by spraying
properly and taking other precau-
tions against plant diseases.
Scab, Rosette and Blackleg
Potato scab, rosette and blackleg
can be controlled by sterilizing the
seed before planting. The two
methods of sterilization are:
1. Formalin Method-Dilute one
pint of formalin with 80 gallons OF
water. Soak the seed potatoes in
this for two hours. This solution
can be used repeatedly.
2. Corrosive Sublimate Method
Four ounces of corrosive sublimate
(bichloride of mercury in 80 gal
Ions of water. Use a wooden or
| crockery vessel for holding as it
! attacks metal. Soak the potatoes in
this solution for one and one-half
hours. This solution is very poison
Gus. 1t should be kept where chill
dren and animals will not have &C
cess to it, and potatoes soaked in
it must not be fed to stock or chick
ems. This solution must be renewed
after two or three applications.
1t is better to sterilize the po-
tatoes before cutting, but 1t can be
done afterward. When sterilizing
after cutting the growth is some
time delayed. Sterjlizing also burns
Where seed must be stored after
sterilizing place only. in sacks pI
other receptacles that have been
sterilized. and if the planting is done
by machinery sterilize the parts OF
the machine which will come in con-
tact with the potatoes so as to pre-
vent further contamination.
Do not lime land on which po-
tatoes are to be grown because the
I. fnr IA Inv ace
of the skin will thrive best in a
sweet soil.
Early and Late Blight
There are two distinct blights in
fecting potatoes, the early and the
late blight. The early blight causes
spots on the leaves having concen-
trio rings of spores like a target
When many of these spots along the
edge of leaf coalesce the edge OF
the leaf rolls up in much the same
manner as tip burn.
The early blight is found in po-
tato fields from July on, leaves OF
plants infected drop off, the stalk
dries up before the potatoes ma
ture, and as a result the production
is curtailed, even as much as sc
per cent. reduction of the crop has
been caused by this disease.
The late blight and rot is fire.
QuenJly spoken Oh as Ine potato
disease. 1t is the Oldest potato
disease, and no doubt was the cause
of the serious famine in Ireland
many years ago.
Usually it does not appear until
late July, is abundant in August
and early September. Plants infect
ed die prematurely, and so the pro-
duction is reduced and the potatoes
that do mature are infected with
the disease and rot in storage in
spite of anything that can be done
Spraying with Bordeaux mixture
will absolutely prevent damage from
both of these diseases.
AS soon as the potato plants are
six inches high spray them with
Bordeaux mixture and arsenate oi
lead.
Bordeaux mixture is a combina-
ton of bluestone "copper" sulphate)
and lime. To make, dissolve four
(4) pounds of bluestone in 25 gal
Ions of water. This will be most
quickly accomplished by hanging a
bag near the surface of the water
In another barrel slack four or five
pounds of lime and dilute to 20 gal
Ions. When these solutions have
been made pour one into the other
and agitate the mixture violently
for fifteen or twenty minutes. The
more violent the agitation the finer
will be the precipitate, and the long
er it will stay in suspension. Where
the mixture is not properly stirred
the resulting precipitate will be
coarse, and will settle to the bottom
of the barrel quickly.
1t is absolutely necessary that the
"a