Diseases of the Sweet Potato 167 



CHAECOAL-EOT 



(Sclerotium bataticola) 



A rot of less economic importance is occasionally 

 found in the storage-houses throughout the country, 

 which likewise produces a black decay. This form of 

 rot diifers from others of a similar appearance by the 

 production by the fungus of minute spherical, resting 

 bodies throughout the potato, rarely on the surface. 

 These bodies are coal black and stand mostly separated 

 from each other. If the surface of the potato is care- 

 fully opened, these bodies can be seen by the naked eye 

 buried in the tissue. Some shrinking and drying of the 

 potato follow an infection by this fungus. The total 

 loss to the crop that might be attributed to this disease 

 is comparatively small. 



CONTEOL. OF STOEAGE EOTS 



In 1918 the writer treated a quantity of stored sweet 

 potatoes at Ocean Springs, Mississippi, in the following 

 way: The decaying potatoes were culled out and the 

 surfaces of the remaining good ones were sprayed with 

 a 4-^—50 solution of bordeaux mixture. The results 

 were very gratifying. Of course it is necessary to 

 have plenty of air in the store-house until the surplus 

 water on the surface is dried off. However, in most 

 cases it is best to adhere to the following instructions 

 taken from a United States bulletin : 



" The United States could and would produce many 

 more sweet potatoes if they could be marketed at a fair 

 profit. One of the chief barriers to the extension of 

 the industry is the inability of the farmers to keep the 

 potatoes in storage so that they can be placed on the 



