S6o 



Journal of Agricidtiire. 



[lo June, 19 io. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH POTATO DISEASES, 11)09-10. 



George Seymour, Potato Expert. 



During the last twO' seasons much loss has been sustained bv potato- 

 growers through the disease known as " Scab." In some instances, one- 

 third of the crop has been rejected b\' the inspectors, while in others the 

 crop was so bad that it had to be sold for cow feed. 



Much discussion has taken place on the matter, opinions differing 

 widely as to the nature and cause of the trouble. The term " scab " in 

 its widest sense is used to cover a disordered condition of the tuber, and 

 is used as such in the.se experiments. It is applied by the ordinary grower 

 to half-a-dozen different forms which may at certain stages resemble each 

 other, but are produced by different causes. Some maintain that it has 

 been always present in the potato crops, because they found tubers of a 

 scabby appearance where fires had been made when clearing the land. 

 This is a totally different form, and it does not injure the cooking quality, 

 providing the land is dry. It has also been ascribed to an excess of lime in 

 the soil ; if such were the case it would not be found on soils of an acid, 

 nature, but it is common to everv soil. 



I . NEW GROWTH OF TUBER ATTACKED BY EEL-WORM. 



The diseased tubers are said to be as good for culinary purposes as; 

 sound ones ; in fact, at the conference, some growers said they were better. 

 However, if a diseased tuber be cooked and served up beside a sound one, 

 the difference in appearance is most striking. All the outside of the 

 diseased one must be cut away before it can be used. Thev are also said 

 to be " Just as good " for seed as clean tubers, but evidence is rapidly 

 accumulating which goes to prove that the disease is spreading and that 

 soon there will not be a clean district in the State. 



