CONTROI, 0:P BIvACKLE^G DISE^ASE^ OF THE POTATO. 22/ 



"First I bought 20 molasses barrels at 50c. each — got molasses 

 and sugar enough out of them at 30c. a gallon to pay for them. 

 I soaked them out clean and mixed the solution using one pint 

 of formaldehyde to 30 gallons of water. 



"For a platform to set the barrels on while soaking the pota- 

 toes I used my bobsleds with a long body and raised them off 

 the ground by putting pieces of board or plank under the run- 

 ners as the case might be to make them set level and keep them 

 off the ground. I then bored a one inch hole in the side of each 

 barrel, near the bottom, and put in a cedar plug. Ten of the 

 barrels were then placed on the elevated sled body with the 

 plugs to the outside and filled with potatoes. Ten molasses 

 casks held about 16 standard barrels of potatoes. The solution 

 was then put into these 10 barrels enough to cover the potatoes 

 and let stand for 2 hours. It was then drawn off from the holes 

 in the bottom into pails and turned into the other 10 barrels 

 which had already been filled with potatoes and were set up 

 on the sled platform the same as the first 10. Of course, there 

 was a little waste each time and enough new solution was added 

 each time to cover all of the potatoes. As soon as the solution 

 was drawn off from the first 10 barrels the potatoes were turned 

 down on another platform to dry. This platform was 15 x 20 

 feet and for a floor had inch boards nailed to plank stringers 

 which had good bearings underneath. Around the platform 

 were nailed pieces of 2 x 4 on edge to keep the potatoes from 

 rolling off. 



"I used 3 gallons of formaldehyde which cost me $6.00 to 

 soak 260 barrels of potatoes.* My potatoes were clean, having 

 been put over a rack once in the winter and once before cutting. 

 I always do this because they can be made almost perfect in 

 this way if they are good potatoes at the start. If the potatoes 

 are clean the solution can be used over and over again without 

 becoming dirty. ***** The cost of the labor the way 

 I handled it would not be over one-half hour for two men, or 

 20c. for each batch of about 16 barrels. I had the lumber 

 and have it now, so the cost of that was nothing. I was about 



* The cost of the . formaldehyde varied in the different experiments 

 from 25c. to 75c. per pint or pound. The latter price is much too high. 

 Formaldehyde can be sold at retail for 2Sc. a pint at a fair profit. 



