1907.] DISEASES OF THE POTATO. 21/ 



Spraying for blight should begin usually about the middle of 

 July. Very often, especially in this vicinity, the farmers begin 

 earlier than that and stop at about that period. Now the good 

 result of most of their effort is wasted if they stop about the 

 middle of July because it is only from then on that the blight 

 appears and that spraying has its value. The reason that they 

 are afraid to go into* every field with their machine is that 

 they will injure the vines. Of course, some fields are much 

 more luxuriant than others, and it is easier to go through 

 those fields where the potato plants are not so luxuriant, but 

 even if you have to go through fields where the vines are 

 quite luxuriant, I would still advise that it be done. The 

 potato vine will stand a good deal of abuse, and not show it. 

 It will recover readily. I know of fields that were sprayed 

 this year where the man could scarcely see, and he sprayed all 

 through that field. He was fearful of the result upon his 

 vines, but in a day or two he would not have known that he 

 had been there at all. 



Now there are three ways of spraying potatoes. One by 

 the use of a hand pump, where you drive through with a 

 man pumping and two men following with a hose. I have 

 been criticised by some. I do not object to friendly criticism 

 at all because that will bring out, perhaps, something that is 

 useful — but I have been criticised for some things that I have 

 said with reference to methods of spraying. I do not say that 

 that is not a practical method, but I do not wish to be under- 

 stood as advocating it for anything more than it is worth. It 

 takes considerable time, and a man who wants to spray 

 ten acres will find it rather a long and tedious job. I think, 

 however, that there is no other method that is as thorough 

 and safe. So if a man has the time and does not have too great 

 an acreage, he will find that the most satisfactory way to spray 

 potatoes. It takes one man to man the pump and drive, and 

 two men to handle the lines of hose. By the use of this 

 method you can get a thorough spraying of each individual 

 plant as you go along. That is the principal advantage of it, 

 that you can do the work thoroughly. Of course, the success 

 of any method of spraying is dependent to a large degree 

 upon how serious the blight is. If it is quite serious the spray 

 should be put on through the season from the middle of July 



