HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 



Vi 



III. 



XOKTHA^rPTON, MASS., AUGTST. 191S 



No. 8 



A New Disease of Potatoes in 

 Massachusetts 



Many reports have been received of an 

 apparently new disease of potatoes which 

 already has caused a large amount of 

 damage to the crop this season. The 

 disease is known as Phonia Stem Blight. 

 It was first discovered in this State in 

 July, 1917, at Amherest, but was pre- 

 viously known in Maine. 



The effect of the disease is noticeable 

 at a distance by the stunted gi'owth and 

 yellow appearance of the foliage. Usu- 

 ally low areas in a field are the worst 

 effected. 



The disease causes brown spots or 

 lesions on the stems, both above and 

 below the surface of the giound. Later 

 these spots turn ashy gray in color. 

 Similar spots occur on the stolons, and 

 the stem end of the tuber may be effected. 

 The entire aerial portion of the plant 

 finally collapses and effected areas then 

 have the appearance of having been at- 

 tacked by Late Blight. 



Late Blight has not been reported in 

 the State this season. 



Control measures for Phoma Stem 

 Blight have not been worked out. 



The Experiment Station is anxious to 

 obtain all the information possible con- 

 cerning Phoma Blight in Massachusetts 

 as investigational work on the disease is 

 under way. We also desire to examine 

 material from as many points as it is 

 obtainable. 



Mass. Agri. Ex. Station. 



Fall Grains 



Wheat or Rye? — Whether to grow 

 wheat or rye depends largely upon soil 

 conditions. Rye is a hardier crop and 

 does not require such early seeding, good 

 soil conditions or careful preparation of 

 the soil. It will ordinarily stand our 

 winters better than wheat and is there- 

 fore the safest crop for this state. How- 

 ever, where conditions are made right 

 winter wheat can be successfully grown 

 and this year we see many fields of 

 winter wheat. 



The conditions favorable for successful 

 winter wheat culture may be summed up 

 as follows: 



(1) A productive soil. 



Concluded on page 5 



Potato Qrowers— Warning ! 



Late Blight, the most destructive dis- 

 ease of potatoes, has made its appearance 

 in New .Jei'sey. It has not been reported 

 in Massachusetts this season. But a 

 period of rain and reduced temperature 

 is almost certain to bring it to the pota- 

 to fields of New England. 



Potatoes which have been properly 

 sprayed with Bordeaux mixture are 

 reasonably protected against this disease, 

 provided spraying is kept up. The 

 foliage should be kept well covered with 

 the fungicide. 



Don't wait for tlie rain or the disease. 

 Spray now for insurance. 



A new potato disease known as Phoma 

 Stem Blight has done much damage to 

 the crop this season. This, complicated 

 with drouth effect and the aphis scourge, 

 has practically ruined many potato fields. 



Spraying will not control Phoma Stem 

 Blight and no control measure is known, j 

 Where the crop has been injured by this ' 

 disease it is advised that the tubers be 

 left in the ground until the vines are 

 completely killed. The vines should be 

 burned as soon as the crop is harvested 

 and the tubers should not be used for 

 "seed" next year. I 



Many potato fields are still green, i 

 Every effort must be made to save these 

 as conditions point to a small crop and 

 high prices. 



Bordeaux mixture is the potato grow- 

 er's best insurance against late blight. 



Spray now and keep the vines covered 

 as long as they remain green. 



Injury to Maple and Beech 



The Saddled Prominent or Maple 

 Prominent which caused so much injury 

 to the beeches and maples in Western 

 Massachusetts last year has again ap- 

 peared. 



It has entirely stripped the beech and 

 maple trees of their leaves over thou- 

 sands of acres in Franklin and Hamp- 

 shire counties, and, in some cases, has 

 spread to the apple orchards nearby, 

 but it has limited its work mainly to the 

 hilltops, the valleys almost everywhere 

 showing no traces of its work. At the 

 present time, the damage has nearly all 

 been done as most of the caterpillars 

 have about finished their feeding and 

 Concluded on page 7 



Ruling on Milling Wheat 



Fai'niers who have grown wheat this 

 year will be interested in the following 

 letter by the State Food Administrator. 

 When one realizes that for a family of 

 five this allows approximately two and 

 one-half barrels of wheat flour, the fair- 

 ness of the ruling can easily be seen. 



To all wheat mills in Massachusetts: — 



The following special rule is made 

 effective -July 22nd on all wheat millers 

 and manufacturers of mixed flours in 

 Massachusetts. This supplements the 

 pamphlet of Special License Regulations 

 No. 11, containing all other Special Li- 

 cense Regulations governing wheat mil- 

 lers, revi.sed to -July 22nd : — 



"Rule 29. Size of E.i-change transac- 

 tions: When a farmer brings to the mill 

 wheat grown by himself, the miller may 

 deliver to him on a toll or exchange 

 basis, a sufficient amount of flour without 

 substitutes to provide eight pounds per 

 month for each person in his household 

 or establishment until August 1, 1919." 



Please observe that this is a State 

 rule applying to Massachusetts, and not 

 a National rule applying to all millers 

 of the United States. 



The miller is responsible for using 

 reasonable diligence in assuring himself 

 that flour is exchanged on the above 

 basis only to persons who have actually 

 produced the wheat they bring to the 

 mill. The purpose of the regulation is 

 to encourage as many farmers as possible 

 to raise their own supply of wheat flour 

 and thereby make available a large 

 amount of flour produced in the west for 

 war uses. 



Any grist mills who are contemplating 

 grinding wheat and have not obtained 

 license from the United States Food Ad- 

 ministration should at once apply for 

 license to the License Division of the 

 above Administration at Washington, 

 D. C. 



All wheat and rye millers of whatever 

 capacity are now required to be licensed 

 under very serve penalties for failure to 

 comply, and no miller may grind, crack 

 or sell wheat or wheat flour for feeding 

 purposes without express permission 

 from Washington. 



H. B. Endicott, 

 Food Administrator, 



