New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 229 



the batavia experiment. 



'Conducted by G. A. Prole, Batavia, N. Y. Thirty acres of 

 potatoes were sprayed four times with a two-horse, four-row 

 ''Iron Age " sprayer carrying one nozzle per row. The dates of 

 spraying were July 7, 20, August 1 and 15. Water was obtained 

 from a well about fifty rods from the field. It was pumped by a 

 windmill. In the first and third sprayings arsenite of soda was 

 used with the bordeaux at the rate of four quarts to sixty gallons. 

 The check consisted of a strip of three unsprayed rows 953 feet 

 long and 2.8 feet apart. These were treated twice (July 7 and 

 August 1) with arsenate of lead to control bugs. The plants grew 

 to large size. They became considerably affected with tip burn. 

 Traces of late blight were discovered September 26, but no appre- 

 ciable damage was done by it and no rotten tubers were found at 

 digging time. Sprayed and unsprayed rows appeared equal 

 throughout the season. 



The expense account contained the following items : 



384 lbs. copper sulphate @ 6 cts $23 04 



3 bu. lime @ 25 cts 75 



32 lbs. white arsenic @ 8 cts 2 56 



64 lbs. sal soda @ 1*/^ cts 96 



80 hrs. labor for man and horse @ 30 cts 24 00 



Arsenate of lead 50 



Wear on sprayer 5 00 



Total $56 81 



The test rows (variety Sir Walter Raleigh), yielded as follows: 



Two sprayed rows, 1,474 lbs.= 200.4 bu. per acre. 



Middle check row, 682 lbs.= 185.5 bu. per acre. 



Gain from spraying, 14.9 bu. per acre. 



Potatoes being worth sixty cents per bushel, the gain of 14.9 

 bu. has a value of $8.94. After subtracting $1.88, the expense of 

 spraying, there remains a net profit of $7.06 per acre. 



