24 FUNGOID DISEASES 



as an example, the loss in a " disease year " is 

 appalling. 



According to the returns of the Board of Agri- 

 culture for the year 191 2, the area under potatoes 

 in the United Kingdom was 1,219,583 acres, with 

 an average crop of about 6 tons to the acre. This 

 gives a total of 7,317,498 tons, which at £2 per ton 

 are worth ;^ 14, 634, 996 ; but assuming that disease 

 is rampant, and that one-fourth of the crop is diseased, 

 if we take the value of the diseased tubers at los. 

 per ton, the total value of the whole would be 

 ;^i 1,890,934 instead of ^14,634,996, which means 

 a loss of ^3,744,061 for the United Kingdom 

 alone. 



The losses from ofrain rust for Prussia alone have 

 been estimated at millions for a single year, while 

 the loss in Australia due to rust in wheat is put 

 at 2\ million pounds for one year. 



The above figures are only approximate, still 

 they give us some idea of the extent of the damage, 

 and impress upon us the importance of adopting 

 preventive and remedial measures whenever pos- 

 sible. 



Fungicides. — Cultural and other preventive 

 measures based upon the afore-mentioned favour- 

 able and unfavourable conditions will be ofiven later 

 in the text, but it will be well to enumerate here a 

 few of the common fungicides, and the methods of 

 preparation, 



