761 
REPORT ON EXPERIMENTS ON PREVENTION 
AND CURE OF “ POTATO DISEASE.” 
Experiments were commenced in 1891 by the Royal Agricultural 
Society, at the request of the Board of Agriculture, with a view to 
seeing how far jjrevention or cure of the “ Potato Disease ” could 
be eflected by applying to the plants a dressing of the mixture 
known as Bouillie Bordelaisn, and consisting of sulphate of copper, 
slaked lime, and water. The Report of the first year’s experiments 
is published in Vol. II. Part IV., 3rd series of the Journal (1891), 
pages 828-835, and, as it was decided to continue the experiments, 
the following is the account of the second year’s trials. 
Six different potato-growing localities were chosen, viz. in Kent, 
Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Cheshire, Devonshire, and South Wales, 
these being the same counties as were selected last year, but, with 
the exception of Messrs. Malden’s farm in Bedfordshire, fresh districts 
were in each case chosen for the experiments of 1891-2. 
The names of those who kindly undertook to carry out the 
experiments were : — 
Mr. Thomas Scott, Ditton Court, Maidstone, Kent. 
Messrs. Malden Bros., Cardington, Beds. 
Mr. G. 0. Healey, Deeping St. Nicholas, Spalding, Lincolnshire. 
Lord Egeeton op Tatton, Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. 
Mr. W. P. VosPEE, Merafield, Plympton, Devonshire. 
klr. Thomas Beown, Kingswood Farm, Pembroke Dock, S. Wales. 
To these gentlemen the thanks of the Society are due for the 
care and attention with which they carried out the trials, and for 
the ready help which they gave to the superintendent on the occa- 
sion of his visits. The superintendence of the experiments was 
entrusted to Mr. Henry Giles, who.se services were most kindly lent 
to the Society by Mr. Garrett Taylor, of Norwich, though at con- 
siderable personal inconvenience. Mr. Giles visited each experi- 
mental station Avhenever necessary, and saw to the preparation of 
the bouillie bordelaise and its different applications to the crops, as 
well as to the final weighings of the produce. Mr. Giles’s duties 
were discharged with the promptitude and careful attention which 
he has shown in the practical work of the experiments of the 
Norfolk Chamber of Agriculture, and his management of the present 
series was in every way satisfactory. Mr. Carruthers, the Society's 
consulting botanist, examined the diffierent samples of leaves which, 
according to instructions, were sent up from any of the stations at 
which disease was believed to have made its appearance. In 
addition, Mr. Carruthers devoted some ground by the side of his 
house to the carrying on of observations upon the pro.gress of the 
disease and on the nature of the action of the bouillie bordelaism 
upon the parasitic fungus {Phytophthora infestans) attacking the 
potato. 
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