Ix 
Monthly Council, May C, 1891. 
any check or remedy being found 
against it. He thought it was a 
question that should be investigated 
thoroughly and completely by that 
Society. 
The remed}^ as he "ventured to 
think, had been found in this sul- 
phate of copper treatment — i.e., what 
was called in France '• Bouillie 
Bordelaise,"' a solution of sulphate of 
copper mixed with lime and a certain 
proportion of water. In 1878 a new 
fungus made its appearance in the 
vineyards of France ; not the ordin- 
ary Oidiiim Tucheri, the fungus 
which had ravaged the vineyards for 
nearly fifty years, but another and 
much more serious disease, caused by 
Peronospora vitioola, wliich was 
closely allied to PeronosjMra infcstans, 
a fungus that caused the potato dis- 
ease, which had been called by De 
Bary Phytophthi>ra infcstans. This 
remedy of sulphate of copper was 
found out in the most peculiar man- 
ner. It was customary in France to 
treat grapes growing by the road 
sides with sulphate of copper and 
lime to keep off pilferers and marau- 
ders, as grapes so treated would 
naturally not be pleasant. It was 
noticed that grapes treated in that 
way were free from this new vine 
f ungus Peronospora riticola ; and ex- 
periments were made with it in 
various parts of France. In ] 886 51. 
Prillieux reported to the Societe 
Nationale d'Agriculture de France 
that the sulphate of copper treatment 
was perfectly efficacious for the cure 
of vine mildew, and he recommended 
that the Bouillie Bordelaise mixture 
should be used in exactly the same 
way for the potato disease. Experi- 
ments since 1886 had been conducted 
in different parts of France, notably 
by M. Aimc Girard, for the last three 
years. The results of these experi- 
ments appeared in the " Annales 
Agronomiques," and in the Bulletins 
of the Societe Nationale d'Agriculture 
de France. It was clearly shown that 
the treatment of sulphate of copper 
had been most efficacious as a pre- 
ventive, and also, in some degree, as 
a cure for the potato disease when 
actually established upon tlie plants. 
'J'liere was no doubt that the mixture 
had y)roved a preventive against the 
disease, and when applied, as such, 
no sign or trace of potato disease had 
been found. Similar experiments 
had been made in Belgium for the 
last two years at the State Agricul- 
tural Institute at Gembloux by M. 
Peterman, Director of that institution. 
The results of M. P6terman's experi- 
ments were equally satisfactory with 
those of M. Aime Girard in France. 
He also arrived at the conclusion that 
sulphate of copper not only prevented 
and arrested the disease, but that sul- 
phate of iron, which was a much 
cheaper mixture, was equally effica- 
cious. No doubt there would be 
further reports upon this subject. 
An experiment had also been tried 
in Ireland at the suggestion of the 
British Board of Agriculture, and 
although the directions to carry out 
these experiments in Ireland were 
given very late indeed, so that the 
application could not be made until 
the end of August, Mr. Carroll, who 
had carried out this experiment in 
five or six different parts of Ireland, 
reported that the effect was certainly 
satisfactory. Experiments had been 
carried out in America with similar 
satisfactory results. He trusted that 
the Council would allow the experi- 
ments to be made as suggested in the 
Committee's report. It was not 
likely that the cost of these experi- 
ments, which it was proposed should 
extend over three years, would exceed 
300Z. at the rate of 100^. a year. He 
wished to give notice that day that 
he should move at the next meeting 
of the Council that a grant of SOOl. 
should be placed at the disposal of the 
Seeds and Plant Diseases Committee, 
if required by them, for the purpose 
of these experiments. The Seeds and 
Plant Diseases Committee believed 
that the Board of Agriculture might 
contribute a very considerable part 
of the expense, but he trustecl that 
the Council would give their sanction 
to a money grant from the Society's 
funds, if it should prove requisite. 
Earl Cathcart, as having had in 
former times a good deal to do with 
jjotato disease, seconded the adop- 
tion of this report. The subject had 
been brought before the House of 
Lords on Monday ; it was then stated 
that experiments had been made with 
a view of curing this disease of the 
potato. The treatment was, bow- 
