336 



STATE BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



(ROWS FOUR FEET APART.) 



CONTINUATION OF POTATO EXPERIMENTS. 



The experiments of the past three seasons were continued during 1905 

 with the four varieties used in 1904. One-quarter of an acre was 

 planted during the fall of 1904 and a like amount during spring of 1905. 

 The total length of the plot was 16 rods. The width which was 5 rods 

 was divided into 24 parts, thus making the rows nearly 314 feet apart, 

 and as three rows of each variety were planted both for hilling up and 

 for level cultivation, the subdivisions in the following tables represent 

 each 1-G4 part of an acre. The season was less favorable for potatoes 

 than 1904, OAving to late blight which made its appearance during the 

 forepart of September. The tubers remained sound, but the premature 

 death of the vines arrested the further development of the late varieties, 

 and thus the fall planted varieties, which have invariably been farther 

 advanced, gained a greater advantage than they did during former sea- 

 sons. Owing to the absence of early blight and to the fact that a small 

 knapsack sprayer constitutes the entire spraying outfit, onl}- two spray- 

 ings were given, namely one on June 28 and the other July 13, one-half 

 of the vines being sprayed as formerly with Bordeaux mixture and 

 Paris green, and the other half with Paris green alone. In the southern 

 jjortion of the Upper I'eninsula, late blight, judging from numerous 

 inquiries for a remedy, appeared earlier and was much more severe, 

 it being stated that in some instances almost the entire crop Mas de- 

 stroyed. It should not be surmised therefore that the two S])rayings 

 warded off the damage here, for they did not, and the practice of giving 

 only two sprayings is by no means recommended even during seasons 

 with the forepart as favorable as it was here during the present season. 

 When done once every two weeks and with an economical outfit, spray- 

 ing will i)ay, otherwise it will not, for insufficient spraying affords in- 

 sufficient immunity from diseases. 



The potatoes were cultivated June 17 and 27 and July 3 and 8, after 



