Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-07-17
To Spray or Not To
Spray

Every year about this time, the
various agricultural people who are
interested in the growing of the po-
tato crop wonder just how much
spraying is being done, just how
much of it is being done efficiently
and whether all the missionary work
that has been done in the past Is
accomplishing anything. The kind
Of weather that we have had In
Maine recently, that of intermittent
showers with more or less sunshine,
is the ideal kind of weather for the
breeding of Blight spores and to the
potato growers who thoroughly un-
derstand their business, it recalls the
years when we have had a large
amount of Late Blight rot in our
crop and made 1t hard to market.
The proper step for potato growers
at the present time is to take his
spraying machine and see to 1t that
it's parts are sound. that the noz-
zles are clean, that there are no bad
leaks and that a pressure of about
one hundred and eighty pounds can
be maintained. No less an authority
than Daniel Deane, the president Of
the Potato Association of America,
believes that at least one hundred
and eighty pounds pressure should
be maintained with three nozzles to
row in order to get the best re-
suits.
The next step is to see to 1t that the
Bordeaux Mixture is properly made.
1t is possible to mix Blue Vitrol and
lime with water in such a way that
it becomes a mechanical mixture
rather than chemical one, and the
work done may be entirely lost ow-
ing to this poorly mixed solution.
The details of the proper method Of
making Bordeaux Mixture can be had
from any of the county agricultural
agents or the Department of Agricul-
ture, by dropping a line and asking
for instructions. 1t seems to the
writer that it is better to be sure OF
the condition of your equipment and
the proper mixing of the material
than it is to go ahead and get larse
number of acres sprayed by hap
hazard methods.
The object of spraying is to pro-
tect the foliage from attacks Of fun
gous diseases and insect enemies.
The principal fungous diseases are
Early and Late Blight. The latter is
capable of attacking the foliage.
stems and tuber of the plant and
may cause a decided reduction IN
yield. An arsenical poison such as
Arsenate of Lead is generally COM
bined with Bordeaux Mixture TO con-
troll the insect pests such as the Col
orado Beetle, Flea Beetle and others
which infest the field. Another adj
vantage TO be derived from spraying
is that well sprayed plants seem to
suffer much less foliage injury from
tip burn than unsprayed plants. 1t
has also been demonstrated that in
seasons in which a long period OF
drouth or heat has occurred. the
foliage of sprayed plants suffer less
than the unsprayed ones. Resultant
yields are sufficiently greater as Z
rule to more than repay the grower
for the cost of spraying.
We have been told that there is no
data at hand to prove that spraying
pays. On the other hand. it seems
to those familiar with the growth OF
the potato that sprayed fields stand
up better and produce more market
able tuhers in proportion to the yield
than do the unsprayed fields.
The Department of Agriculture
wishes to urge upon all those who
are growing potatoes to spray right
and as often as il is needed; the
number OF applications depending