354 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Vick Early Market. — Medium; oval; regular; straw colored; eyes deep, 

 few; flesh firm, white, fine grained, dry. A good early variety. 



FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS. 



For several years the station has conducted experiments with fertilizers 

 for potatoes. This season the experiments in that line were considerably 

 extended and a trial was made of various manures for potatoes. Several 

 acres were planted in the fertilizer test, nearly a score of fertilizers being 

 used, and careful attention was given to every detail of the experiment, 

 but the drouth so nearly ruined the crop that positive results of value were 

 few. It was therefore thought best to withhold the results of this 

 year's fertilizer experiments until other experiments along the same line 

 might better prove or disprove the greatly varying results obtained this 

 season. 



TREATING SEED POTATOES FOR SCAB. 



Last year a thorough examination of corrosive sublimate and Bordeaux 

 mixture as preventives of potato scab was made; the same experiments 

 were repeated this year on even a larger scale, but, unfortunately for the 

 experiment, the season was such that there was but little scab, so that the 

 benefits arising from using the fungicides are not so readily seen. The 

 objects of the experiments were three: to find the best strength of the 

 fungicides; to find the proper length of time for soaking the seed; and to 

 ascertain whether the seed was injured by the different chemical solutions. 



The land used for the experiment was a clay loam planted the previous 

 two years to strawberries. The soil was given the same treatment, the 

 potatoes were planted the same, and they were treated in every respect as 

 were the potatoes in the variety tests. The varieties planted were O. K. 

 Mammoth and Rochester Favorite. The seed was not badly affected by 

 the scab, but opportunities for contamination were numerous. 



The method of treatment was as follows: Four strengths of the corrosive 

 sublimate solution were used: 1 part of corrosive sublimate to 500 of 

 water, 1 part to 1,000, 1 part to 2,000, and 1 part to 4,000. The solutions 

 were prepared as follows: for the first, 1 ounce of corrosive sublimate to 3§ 

 gallons of water, for the second 1 ounce to 7| gallons, for the third 1 ounce 

 to 15^ gallons, for the fourth 1 ounce to 31 gallons. The lengths of time 

 were ^ hour, 1^ hours, and 3 hours. After the seed was removed from the 

 solutions it was placed in new paper bags to prevent contamination, which 

 might take place if it were placed in other receptacles. The copper sul- 

 phate solutions of the different strengths were prepared by dissolving two 

 ounces of the sulphate in 8, 16, and 82 gallons of water respectively. The 

 Bordeaux mixture was of the usual strength. 



Extended remarks upon the experiment this year need not be made, since 

 the matter was very fully treated in the potato bulletin of last year, and no 

 new conclusions of importance could be drawn from this experiment. 



It is now a well established fact that potato scab can be controlled easily 

 and cheaply by corrosive sublimate. The remedy is now being used by 

 nearly all large growers, who almost invariably report favorable results 

 from its use. The demand for information concerning the treatment has 

 been so great that a potato scab calendar published last year has had two 

 editions of 3,000 copies each and another edition of 5,000 is now ready for 



