The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-08-16
SPRAY POTATOES
tusprayed Crop Threatened Unless
Late Blight is Controlled by Use
OF Bordeaux Mixture.

Potato late blight, a fungous dis
ease, capable of causing enormous
destruction, has appeared in several
States from Maine to New Jersey and
West Virginia, according to the
United States Department of Agri-
culture. The blight occurred early
this year and reports show that it is
more prevalent than usual. While
in some fields the blight is already
beyond control, prompt spraying
with Bordeaux mixture will, in most
cases, still be effective, the specialists
advise. Unless potato growers spray
thoroughly with Bordeaux mixture,
they fear that the large potato crop
that has been promisd will not be
realized las late blight, if uncontroll-
ed. is capable of reducing the ma
Gonal crop at the rate of 2,000,OUU
bushels per day.
Potatoes in the Northern States
are just beginning to form tubers To
produce a large crop the tops must
be kept healthy till frost, as the tub
ers increase in size most rapidly dur
ing the last weeks of the season. The
late blight kills the tops ana causes
the tubers to rot in the ground. The
blight starts in a few centers in the
field where diseased potatoes were
planted. Brown spots develop on
the leaves and a whitish mildew APP
pears on their underside. Frequent
rains and warm, muggy weather fur
niSh ideal conditions for the devel-
opment of the blight under which
the foliage bightsrapidly, the leaves
hang blackened and dead, and the
tubers begin to rot. Dry and hot
weather, ON the other hand, tends to
check the progress of the blight but
growers should spray Immediately
and not trust their crops entirely to
improvement in weather conditions.
AS an effective preventive of late
blight Bordeaux mixture has proved
its value for 25 years. Every grower
from Maine to Michigan and south to
Virginia is urged to spray at once
and repeatedly.
Homemade Bordeaux mixture is
best. Use 4 pounds Bluestone, (cop-
per sulphate; 4 pounds Quicklime;
so gallons water.
Prepare the copper sulphate by
SuSpending it in a gunny sack just
below the surface of several gallons
the sulphate is dissolved, which re-
quires three or four hours, remove
the sack and stir into the barrel
enough additional water to make ex-
actly 25 gallons of the copper solu
ton.
Prepare the lime by shaking it
slowly and thoroughly in a clean
barrel, strain, and add enough addi-
= lyN ~ tr oil
Ions of lime milk Stir thoroughly.
Pour the two ingredients together
into another barrel, or, better, di-
rectly into the spray tank, if it will
hold so gallons. 1t is highly impor-
tant to stir the mixture very thorou-
ghly and to strain both ingredients
before they are combined, as other
wise clogging of the spray nozzles
might result. Use copper or bronze
wire strainer of Is meshes to the
inch. Do not put copper sulphate
or Bordeaus mixture into tin or
iron vessels; use wood or copper con-
tanners. Mix the Bordeaus as need
ed and apply at once. 1t is never so
good after it has settled.
When poisons such as arsenate OF
lead are to be combined with Bor-
deauX mixture, add the poison after
the two solutions are mixed. Then
stir well.
Those who use Bordeaux mixture
frequently and in quantity Will lind
it convenient to keep concentrated
stock solutions on hand, as these
keep definitely if the water which
eyaporates is replaced.
Build an elevated platform to hold
the barrels. The night before the
day you wish to commence Spraying
suspend so pounds of copper sulphate
to dissolve in a 50-gallon barrel OF
water. Stake so pounds Of lime IN
another barrel. Add water 10 make
so gallons of lime milk. When
Bordeaux mixture is needed, stir
both stock barrels well and take
gallons from each stock barrel. d.
lutte the copper sulphate in one bar
rel by adding enough water to make
25 gallons. Dilute the lime milk IN
another barrel by adding enough wa
ter to make % gallons. Stir each
thoroughly. Combine the two as IN
previous directions. Thorough agl-
tation is essential in making good
Bordeaux Enthusiastically News
Letter.
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