140 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



4 weeks after maturing . . . and then harvest and market at once. . . . Some 

 risk is run of losing the crop if a heavy soaking rain should come after the tubers 

 mature. Grow a second cj-op whenever it can be grown. By spreading the tubers 

 out on the floor of a cellar or even under the house where some light covering of 

 straw or leaves can be placed over them, enough can be stored for family use until 

 Christmas. Potatoes grown on well-drained sandy loam soils will keep better than 

 those grown on stiff, heavy clay soils." 



Notes on marketing potatoes and illustrated descriptions of a potato 

 cutter, digger, spraj'er, and smoothing harrovr are given, together 

 with suggestions regarding the management of first-crop potatoes for 

 second-crop seed. 



Experiments -with potatoes, C. D. Woods and J. M. Bartlett 

 {Maine Sta. Bid. 57, j/j). 11^5-158). — Investigations were undertaken 

 to determine the "effect of spraying potato vines with Bordeaux 

 mixture on the starch content of the tubers. As starch accumulates 

 most rapidly when the plant is maturing, it seemed reasonable to pre- 

 sume that if spraying prevented blight and prolonged the life of the 

 plant to its natural period of growth, the tubers would be of better 

 qualit}" with a larger proportion of starch than those from immature 

 plants." 



Arrangements were made with growers in Aroostook County, where 

 large starch factories are located, for samples of potatoes from sprayed 

 and unsprayed fields. Only merchantable tubers were used. The 

 spraying was begun late, and none of the potatoes completely escaped 

 the attack of blight. Sixteen samples, made up of 4 varieties, were 

 analyzed and the data with reference to both mineral and food con- 

 stituents were tabulated and compared with similar data obtained from 

 other sources. The ayerage starch content of 3 yarieties of sprayed and 

 unsprayed potatoes is shown in the following table: 



Starch conienl of sprayed and unsprai/ed potatoes. 



These results indicate an ayerage increase in starch of 1.G3 per cent, 

 seemingly due to spraying with Bordeaux mixture. With the Hebron 

 yariety the larger starch content was found in the unspra^'ed potatoes. 

 This variation Avas attributed to the soil differences of the fields in 

 which the 2 samples were grown. 



The starch content shown h\ chemical anah'sis is compared with the 

 estimated starch content based upon specific grayit}*. The figures 



