64 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Another point I wanted to speak to him in regard to was 

 concerning blight. I have been very much impressed with 

 the fact of the varieties resisting this blight. I had four 

 varieties of potatoes this summer. It has been a very disas- 

 trous season in Wisconsin for potatoes, on account of the 

 terrible drought. In those four varieties I have one old 

 variety, the Rural New Yorker. That has a crinkly, strong, 

 tough leaf. That withstood the blight, — has always with- 

 stood the blight with us there. All other varieties that have 

 a smooth, tender leaf go down with the blight, — early 

 blight or late blight, but mostly the early blight. Isn't 

 there something in varieties that can be studied in regard to 

 resisting blight ? 



Professor Woods. In the first place, as regards the con- 

 servation of moisture, if we were so situated that we could 

 practise irrigation, and have men of intelligence enough to 

 carry it out properly, I should be glad to have it done. I 

 believe there are many farms in regions here, which have 

 only occasional drought during the year, that can be irri- 

 gated ; but the most of us must depend on conserving the 

 moisture Ave have already in the soil, and that can be done 

 by making a fine mulch over our fields. It is on the same 

 principle that when we have oil in a lamp and have the 

 wick turned up the oil will evaporate into the air. Turn 

 the wick down, and it shuts off the access to the air, and it 

 cannot get out ; we have shut out the capillary relations. 

 So with fine mulch ; we cut off the relations between the 

 small channels in the soil, from which we pump the water 

 out, and the air, and there is a fine coating of dust on top. 

 I think that is the way most of us must depend upon to 

 conserve soil moisture. It is very important to get this 

 mulch back again as soon as Ave lose it after a little rain, — 

 otherwise half an inch of rain may be a greater damage than 

 if it had remained pleasant. 



Humus is important. If Governor Hoard had called my 

 attention to everything I had not said in the paper, it would 

 take a good while longer than the three-quarters of an hour 

 that I wearied you. But I belie A r e that rotation, such as avc 

 are using in our State, is fairly good. It is much as the 



