The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-06-28
POTATO SPRAYING IS AS IMP ORTANT
 AS GOOD SEED
Reasons for This Work and What to Use Teld by
 StOrrS.

final step required for profitable
 yields. It must be done thoroughly l to be effective; one must realize this
 and prepare in advance to do the work
 as we'll as possible.
 | The chief reasons for spraying are to control the Potato Beetle or, Bug
 and Late Blight. Spraying for blight
 also Controls Early Blight, Tip Burr land checks injury from the small black Flea Beetle. In addition, 1t has
 been proved that spraying with Bor- kdeaux is profitable in years when there is no Late Blight, due to the
 increased vigor and hardness of the
 wines A stomach poison-either Ar
 senate of Lead or Paris Green, will
 kill the Potato Bug" and Bordeauz
 mixture, either homemade or pre-
 pared, will control blight, if the vines
 are kept covered.
 | Arsenate of Lead can be bough,
 either as a powder or paste at most i hardware or seed stores. Either is
 satisfactory, but it requires twice as much of the paste. For every fifty
 gallon barrel of spray material use two to three pounds of powdered Ar
 senate of Lead. Of Arsenate of Lead paste, four to six pounds. Be sure te keep well stirred. Spray as soon as l the young bugs or "slugs" appear
 Do not wait until they are half grown and tough.
 Paris Green is quicker acting poi ] son but~ may burn the leaves if i'm properly applied. To avoid this diff ficulty add two pounds of freshly
 slaked lime to each pound of Paris
 Greens mix well. then wet to a thin paste and strain into the barrel. Use 1 three quarters to one pound of Paris Green for fifty gallons.
 Either Arsenate of Lead or Paris Green may be mixed with Bordeauz and the two applied together. Arsen- ate of Lead this year. (1917) costs approximately 25 cents in ten to fifty pound lots in the powder form and 1 IA cents in the past. formt PaEfs Green costs 40 to 60 cents a pound depnding on the amount and place of purchase. If small lots are pur- chased locally prices are always high CT than for larger amounts from wholesale dealers.
 Bordeaux mixture is made of cop per sulfate (bluestone and blue vii triol are other names), quick1ine and water. It is used in various strengths. but 5-5-50 is preferable for potatoes. 5-5-50 Simply means 5 pounds cop per sulfate, 5 pounds quick lime and 50 gallons of waterfalls is a barrel Iful.
 Put 5 pounds of copper sulfate in a sack and hang it in a barrel contain ing 25 gallons of water It should be left over night to dissolve. Stake 6 pounds of fresh quick lime, using just enough water to slake it slowly, stirring it while slaking. When slak- ed to a soft paste without Jumps, add enough water to make 25 gallons and stir carefully. Pour together the cop per sulfate solution and the milk of
 lime so that their streams mix in pouring. Never pour. one of these ma teria1s into, the barrel and then pour in the other as Bordeaux made this way Is not as effective and does not stick as well. The product is 5-5-5o Bordeaux
 NOTE:-Six pounds of quick lime are recommended as some is lost in straining and little excess does no harm. If less than barrelful is needed at one time the diluted lime and copper sulphate may be mixed gallon for gallon until the required amount is secured. Keep the milk of lime well stirred while dipping it out. .s
 When needed in large amounts the stock solution" method is better. To make these stock solutions, dissolve copper sulphate in water at the rate of one pound to /one gallon. Slake the desired amount of quick lime slowly, and dilute with water to make one gallon for every pound of lime used. To mix barrel of Bordeaux from these stock solutions take 5 gal Ions of the copper sulfate solution and dilue to 25 gallons. Also take 6 gallons of the milk of lime, after stirring well, and dilute to 25 gallons. Pour these together so that their streams mix when pouring, stirring meanwhile. This is important.
 These stock solutions do not deter iorate if kept separate and may be used as needed. After diIuting and mixing, Arsenate of Lead or Paris Green may be added if needed for ! bugs" Always strain all materials into the spray barrel through a fine mesh copper strainer. This strainer tcan be made out of a galvanized iron pail by any good dnsmith. Have the copper sieve made like cone sticking up into the pail and at least or s inches across at the base.
 If enough lime is not used there will be an excess of copper that may damage the leaves. To test the mix ture put piece of newly-filed iron into the mixture for about a minute. If it has a copper coating when taken out there is an excess or copper, and more lines hou1d be added. Caution Bordeaux when finally mixed should be used the same day.
 Some of the most common prepar- ed mixtures are Pyrox, Bordo-Lead Adheso, and Tubertonic. Most of these also contain a. poison for pota- to bugs" although prepared Bor- deaux may be bought that carries no poison. These mixtures are easier to use but usually are more expensive and not as efficient in either killing bugs" or preventing blight. However. for people inexperienced in spraying and having only a small area of po- tatoes, some prepared material may be more satisfactory. It is often de- sirable to add more poison to these prepared mixtures.
 l. Spray as soon as .the young
 bugs" appear. Use a poison and Bordeaux together, as the latter pro- duces more healthy vigorous growth and controls Early Blight if it oc- CUTS. When the plants are six to ten inches high the. spray campaign should begin and either Arsenate of Lead or Paris Green should be added to the Bordeaux as long as the "bugs'' are present.