112 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Rural New Yorker No. 2 ; these potatoes will be sprayed and given good 

 culture during the season. In the fall each hill will be examined and 

 a careful selection of seed will be made. The size, form, weight of 

 tubers in a hill, number of tubers in a hill, and general thrift will be 

 the basis, of selection. Selected tubers will be used for planting in 

 1907 and the crop of that year will be selected likewise. The plan is 

 to continue this selection for at least five years. The object is to 

 determine how much it is possible to increase the yield of merchantable 

 potatoes per acre by selection. 



Breeding Blight-resistant Potatoes. — The endeavor is to breed up a 

 blight-resistant variety of potato of good quality. About 100 varieties 

 of potatoes are being grown this year, to ascertain their blight-resistant 

 qualities. Many of these are the so called ''blight-proof" varieties, 

 secured from different parts of the country. Among the varieties are 

 several obtained from Japan, and also a few hills of Solanum com- 

 mersoni. Only the most promising varieties or hills will be saved for 

 further trial. "^ Crosses will be made between the most blight-resistant 

 sorts, so as to give further opportunity for selection. Eight thousand 

 potato seedlings are being grown in 1906 for the purpose of selection. 

 If a potato is found that is blight-resistant, but of poor quality, it 

 will be crossed with some variety of good quality, and breeding Avill 

 be continued until the tAVO desirable points are combined in one sort. 

 We do not expect to accomplish these results in two years, and prob- 

 ably not in five years, but a good start may be made in that time. It 

 is extremely important that the work may be pursued from year to 

 year without deviation from the original purpose. The large potato 

 interests of the state justify an adequate support of Mr. McCue in the 

 three experiments he has undertaken. 



Spraying for the Late Blight of Potatoes. — Experiments in spraying 

 potatoes for the control of late blight are being conducted at the station 

 and in co-operation with private growers elsewhere. The results of the 

 experiments of last season are published in Bulletin No. 236. Two 

 acres of potatoes are being grown at the station for this experiment in 

 1906. 



Some of the different methods of spraying are: 



1. Sprayed with Bordeaux mixture every 7 days. 



2. Sprayed with Bordeaux mixture every 10 days. 



3. Sprayed with Bordeaux mixture every 15 days. 



4. Sprayed with Bordeaux mixture every 20 days. 



5. Sprayed with lime water, 6 lbs. to .50 gals., every 10 days. 



6. Sprayed with bluestone, 1 lb. to 50 gals., every 10 days. 

 . 7. Sprayed with Paris green alone every 10 days. 



8. Sprayed with Pnris green alone every 15 days. 



9. Sprayed with Paris green alone every 20 days. 



10. Sprayed every 15 days with fungicides recommended and do- 

 nated by the Bowker Insecticide Co. 



All seed was treated with corrosive sublimate. 



The results are to be computed per acre and a careful account of ex- 

 pense of treatment kei)t. 



Circular letters containing directions for co-operative work in potato 

 spraying have been sent to about fifty growers in the state and fifteen 



