The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-07-13
GET MORE POTATOES.
Increase the Yield by Spraying Against
Late Blight and Beetles.

hS Sfb'N 1NNhieos
This year no grower in the norther
states should overlook the chance to in
crease the potato crop by spraying
which is good insurance against shor
crop, Every year the potato yield
reduced by preyentable diseases and in
sect pests; yet il may be increased, a
shown by the fact that sprayed potat
crops in Vermont, for example, have pro
duced on the average los more bushels Il
the acre than unsprayed crops over pc
riod of 2l years.
Get Insects and Diseases, Too.
Bordeaux mixture with lead arsenal,
added will prevent late blight and gel
the potato bug, or Colorado beetle, also
The mixture should be applied every two
weeks, though the interval may be Longer
if the weather is dry and no insects are
present. With the approach of the late
blight season, after the middle of July
thorough protective spraying should be
given. Cool, wet weather means trouble
according to the United States depart
ment of agriculture. Continued showers
and an average temperature around 70
degrees call for sprays once a week, or
even every five days.
Kinds of Sprayers.
For home gardens, small hand sprayers
will~do. For the farm potato patch,
where from one.half acre to three acres
are grown and where there are orchard
trees or small fruits TO be sprayed,
barrel spray spump is recommended
This hand pump is mounted on 50-gsl-
Ion barrel and carried on a home made,
two wheel cart or in farm wagon. If
cart is used, the nozzle may be fastened
to the back to spray four rows, but TO
do good work with this as with the
lighter traction sprayers, it is necessary
to go twice over the field, the second
time coming back in the opposite direc'
ton. More thorough work can be done
by hand.spraying if the pump is fitted
with one or two lines of " inch hose, 25
feet long, ending in fourfoot, pipe
extension, This requires man for each
line and one to pump.
COMMERCIAL growers should provide
themselves with the most effective trac-
ton sprayer they can get. In these the
pump is operated by a chain or gear
drive from the wheels. 1t pays to get
the best, as pressure of from l20 TO
$50 pounds is needed.
A good nozzle is one of the most i'm |
portant parts of spray outfit. The cy-
clone or eddy.chamber type, of which
the Vermorel is an example, is the best.
The spray should be a fine mist and
should reach every part of the plant.
How to Prepare Bordeaux Mixture.
Bordeaux mixture is the only fungicide
that has any practical value against po-
tato diseases. Lime sulphur, powdered
sulphur, and other new mixtures that
nave come into use in orchards are Ell
her injurious to the foliage, or are
weaker in fungicidsl action, or both.
Experiments made by the department
how that, for potatoes and other truck
rops, nothing has yet been found to re-
lace the copper fungicides.
Bordeaux mixture is made with copper
ulphate, four pounds; quicklime four
and water to make so gallons.
suspend the copper sulphate in a gupny
ack in clean barrel containing several
e just below the surface of the water.
When the sulphate is dissolved, which
equires from three to four hours, re-
love the sack and stir into the barrel
nough additional water to make exact
' Is gallons of the copper solution. Pre-
are the lime by shaking it slowly and
in clean barrel strain, and
id enough additional water to make
<actly 25 gallons sof lime milk. Stir
thoroughly. 1t is highly important to
rain both ingredients before they are
,mbined, as otherwise clogging of the
ray nozzles might result. Use copper
bronze wire straner of Is meshes to
e inch
Pour the two ingredients together into
lother barrel, or better, directly into
e spray tank, if it will hold 50 gallons.
fter the two solutions are combined
ir the mixture very thoroughly. Do =
It put copper sulphate or Bordeaux
ixture into tin or iron vessels; use
bod or copper containers. Mix the Bor-
aux as needed and apply at once 1t
never so good after it has settled.
Sfock Solufions
Everyone who uses Bordeaux mixture II
'quently and in quantity will find il
nvenient to keep concentrated stock
utions on hand, as these keep indefi
ely if the water which evaporates is
placed
Build an elevated platform to hold the
rrels. Some time before the day you
sh to commence spraying, suspend so
lnds of copper sulphate to dissolve in
so gallon barrel of water. Stake so
inds of lime in another barrel and
l water to make so gallons of lime
TX. When Bordeaux mixture is needed
r both stock barrels and take from
h as many gallons as the formula calls
in pounds. Dilute the copper sui
tie in one barrel and the lime milk in
,ther, each with half the water, and
the two run together into the strain
of the spray tank. Add the arsenate
lead or other poison, and stir well, be-