47 



About f-^^'pr-t^' new varieties of potatoes were grown in the experimental 

 plots in 1904 for the first time; some of them being grown in very lim- 

 ited quantities, as only a small amount of seed could be obtained. A 

 few potatoes of each of a number of new varieties were sent out by 

 Mr. Kyle, Ontario Special Farm Labor Agent, from the Old Country, 

 and were transferred to the Experimental Department by Prof. C. C. 

 James, Deputy Minister of Agriculture. The varieties were as fol- 

 lows : Davies' Foundling, Davies' King Loth, Davies' Warrior, 

 Davies' Dunion, and Scottish Triumph. As these varieties 

 were planted in such small quantities, no record can here be 

 made regarding the yield per acre for 1904. Of the Davies' 

 Warrior ti-^^re were in all twenty hills, and no rotten potatoes were 

 fou"ri • , the crop. The Davies' Dunion had only thirteen hills, and 

 there was only one rotten potato at the time that the crop was har- 

 vested. It is unsafe, however, to say, from these results, that the 

 Ddvies' Warrior is immune from this disease, as similar areas -^f land 

 on which a few of other varieties were grown also eave no rot infi904, 

 but when a larger area was taken into consideration a few rotten pota- 

 toes were found. 



In order to obtain fuller information regarding the comparative 

 yield of very early potatoes, six rows of each of nine varieties have 

 been planted in the spring of each of the years 1902, 1903, and 1904. 

 Two rows of each variety were dug at the end of nine weeks, two rows 

 at the end of twelve weeks, and the two remaining rows at the end of fif- 

 teen weeks after the planting took place. In the average for three years, 

 the greatest yields produced at nine weeks after planting were by the 

 following varieties : Early Andes, Early Dominion, Six Weeks, Early 

 Fortune, and Early Dawn. The Stray Beauty variety, which gave ex- 

 cellent results in a similar experiment conducted for several years pre- 

 vious to 1902, has produced low yields per acre during the last two or 

 three years. This is true not only in the experiments at the College, 

 but also in the co-operative experiments throughout Ontario. Evi- 

 dently this variety has passed its best period of life and is now deteri- 

 orating. 



Bordeaux Mixture for the Potato Blight, Until the last two 

 years, the potatoes grown in the Experimental Department have been 

 comparatively free from blight, although in some parts of the Province 

 the rot has proven very troublesome in some seasons. In those sec- 

 tions where the blight has been serious, some farmers have had excel- 

 lent results from the use of the Bordeaux mixture, along with Paris 

 green, the first spraying being done when the plants were about six 

 inches in height, and the second and third sprayings at intervals of ten 

 to fifteen days. In some cases, five or six sprayings of Bordeaux mix- 

 ture have been made in the same season. In 1903, and again in 1904, 

 an experiment was conducted in our experimental plots by spraying two 

 varieties of potatoes with Paris green and Bordeaux mixture; and also 



