Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1917-05-31
Pi6l:i|A|iff0l|jjCR|il0]lP Must
Be PROTECTED
sPRAYlNo roR, TIVE HARMFUL
NsEoTs, AND piSEAsEs
RECOMMENDED.
IS INEXPENSIVE INSURANCE
County Demonstration Agents Should
% Consulted In Preparing Mixtures


College Park, May 2l.-Sincs many
Maryland farmers are responding to
The call for more food by planting large
fields of Irish potatoes. 1t ~ most I'm
portant that protection against In
sects and diseases be insured. In In
struotions furnished to the members
of the boys' agricultural clubs who are
growing potatoes. s. B. Shaw, spe'
cialist in, horticulture. for the, Mary
land Agricultural Extension Service
urges them to protect their crops
against disease and insect attack. He
says:
1.-THE careful selection Of healthy
seed potatoes will aid materially In
the control Of diseases. but spraying
Is necessary as q preventive measure
This Is particularly true In regard to
the control Of Late Blight. which SO &c.
riously affects not only the plants, but
also the tubers. Since this disease
develops rapidly. under favorable
weather conditions. it 10 advisable to
begin spraying before 1t begins to ap,
pear The lower leaves Of the plants
. are hrst infected and from them the
disease gradually spreads over the
foliage until the tops are killed.
Preventing Late Blight.
"A combination Of copper sulphate
(blus stone), stone lime and water.
commonly called Bordeaux Mixture,
can best be used In spraying potato
plants for the prevention Of disease.
Use In the proportions OF four pounds
of copper sulphate, four pounds OF
lime and fifty gallons Of water. To dis
solve tho copper sulphate. place the
crystals in 4 cloth sack and suspend
II in 4 wooden or earthen vessel nlled
with water. The crystals will not
dissolve quickly II put In the bottom
OF the vessel. Stake the lime and add
enough water to equal the blue stone
solution. .-- .. ....
"A convenient way to prepare Bor-
deaux Mixture In small quantities 10
to dissolve the four pounds OF blue
stone in Ave gallons OF water. Slake
the four pounds of lime and add an
equal amount Of water. When ready
to apply the material take one gallon
of the blue stone solution and one
gallon of the lime solution and strain
them together into a convenient vessel
holding at least ten gallons. Add to
this combination eight gallons OF wa
tor, thus making ten gallons Of spray
solution. This amount should be
enough for onetenth OF An acre.
KILLING Potato Bulge.
THE Colorado potato beetle and the
nea beetle are perhaps the most in
furious insects affecting the potato
crop. These beetles appear when. the
plants are quite small and unless
proper means are taken for their con-
troll. they entirely destroy the foliage
Of the young. tender plants. For
tunately for the potato grower. both
insects and disease may be controlled
by 1 combination spray. This 10 made
by adding Arsenate OF Lead to the
Bordeaux Mixture. Use this mate
rial Ut the rate Of one and one-half
pounds OF Arsenats OF Lead Powder
or three pounds Of Arsenats OF Lead
Paste to the nifty gallons Of Bordeaux.
This would be about nvs ounces OF the
powder or ten ounces Of the paste to
ten gallons of solution. On account OF
unusual war conditions 1t may be hard
to secure copper sulphats At . rea'
sonable price. Several Bordeaux Ar
senate spray compounds are being
manufactured by different Arms under
various trade names. These prepare
tons can be used to good advantage
in spraying potatoes. 1t 10 suggested
that the County Demonstration Agents
be consulted in regard to securing
and applying spray materials, not only
for potatoes. but for other fruit and
vegetable crops. They can give val
uable information that may save
money for tho grower and be q means
for securing larger yields"