1 89 1 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
453 
Business. 
POWDERS FOR COMBATING THE FUNGOUS OR 
CRYPTOGAMIC DISEASES OF PLANTS. 
F. LAMSON SCRIBNER. 
The value of the flowers of sulphur in combating the 
fungous diseases of plants has been long known; in fact, it 
was one of the first substances employed for this purpose. 
Before the varying nature of the fungi which attack cul¬ 
tivated plants was well understood, sulphur had come 
to be looked upon as a panacea for all the blights and 
rots and mildews that plants are heir to, and much time 
and money were spent in applying it to cases where now 
we can see that it could be of no more value than so much 
dust from a dry road. In speaking of the treatment of 
plant diseases due to fungi I have repeatedly pointed out 
the character of those in which the use of flowers of sul¬ 
phur might be efficacious. Those caused by the Powdery 
or White Mildew are of this class. The Powdery Mil¬ 
dew of the grape or Oldium, as some name it, is readily 
held in check by timely applications of this substance. 
All the Powdery Mildews live upon the surfaces of the 
plants they attack and hence are directly exposed to the 
action of the sulphur fumes, and are readily destroyed 
by them. 
Such is not the case with the Downy Mildews (Perono- 
spora) or the fungus of Black-rot. The mycelium of these 
parasites penetrates deeply the tissues of the plants they 
infest. When they have once gained an entrance to these 
tissues, we may only hope to prevent their fruiting which 
happily takes place upon the outside, but we cannot de¬ 
stroy the parasite without at the same time destroying the 
plant attacked. Preventive measures must be sought. 
We ought to destroy so far as we can do so the germs of 
fungi, and then prevent those which escape destruction 
from gaining an entrance to the tissue of the vines or other 
plants thoy attack. Through experiments which we first 
began in this country in 1886 and 1887, liquid remedies have 
been discovered which effectually serve, when properly 
prepared and applied, to save our crops from the class of 
parasites last named. In acting as a preventive an essential 
property of the preparation used is its adhesiveness. So 
far, all things considered, nothing has been found superior 
to the Bordeaux Mixture, which, as every one knows, is a 
compound of lime and sulphate of copper—lime, one 
pound, sulphate of copper, one pound, water, five gallons. 
At the same time that we began experimenting with 
liquid remedies for the Downy Mildews and the rot, we 
tried also certain powders having a sulphate of copper 
base. These were David’s Powder and sulphatine. The 
Bellows for Applying Dry Substances. Fig. 1 70. 
result obtained by the use of these was less marked than 
that from the liquids; they were somewhat difficult of 
preparation, and no satisfactory bellows could be procured 
for applying them, hence their use in our experiments was 
abandoned. In 1888 we obtained a good form of bellows 
from France—see Fig. 170—but then attention was so 
strongly given to the liquid preparations that the powders 
received little notice. 
Further experiments with powders I consider very de¬ 
sirable, for if any should be found in any way as efficacious 
as the liquids, there can be no question as to the advantage 
of their use. They may (and should be) prepared by a 
manufacturing chemist ready for use; the inconvenience 
and labor of carrying water to the field or vineyard are 
avoided, and if sufficiently fine, they will more completely 
cover all parts of the plants treated ; and, further, the ap¬ 
paratus for application is not so expensive and is less lia¬ 
ble to get out of order. Sulphur, and possibly also some 
of the insecticides may be mixed with the powder when it 
is desired to combat the Powdery Mildews, without fear of 
undesired chemical combinations which are likely to occur 
in liquid preparations. Applications ought to be made 
when the foliage is damp with dew or rain, and when 
there is no wind. 
There are two powders which have given results that 
warrant their being further tried; they are sulphatine and 
sulphosteatite or cupric steatite, the formula for which I 
have given in Circular 5 of the Division of Vegetable 
Pathology, published by the United States Department of 
Agriculture. The first, sulphatine, may be prepared by 
mixing thoroughly 
Anhydrous sulphate of copper. 2 pounds. 
Flowers of sulphur.20 “ 
Slaked lime.8 “ 
We used this at Fayetteville, N. C., and at Charlotteville 
Va., In 1887. 
Sulpho steatite I have not tried, but it is an exceedingly 
fine powder, and is regarded as the most adherent of all 
those yet employed. I have but one official report regard¬ 
ing its value published in Bulletin 5 of the Division of 
Vegetable Pathology (United States Department of Agri¬ 
culture) pp. 77, 79 and 81. Of a number of powders used it 
alone gave satisfactory results as a preventive of Mildew 
(Peronospora) standing second only to the Bordeaux Mixt¬ 
ure. It is composed of steatite or soapstone and anhy¬ 
drous sulphate of copper, in proportion of 10 pounds of the 
former to one pound of the latter. 
Before attempting to use powders in combating our 
fungous foes, we must have something more suitable for 
applying them than anything I have yet seen offered for 
sale. The bellows figured above is simple, easy of con¬ 
struction, can be made at little cost, and is pract'cal. 
Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 
BORDEAUX MIXTURE AS A PREVENTIVE OF 
POTATO ROT. 
The past season, as in 1889, our experiment station con¬ 
ducted some experiments after a plan submitted by Mr. 
Galloway of the Department of Agriculture, at Washing¬ 
ton. One of these experiments was on the use of Bordeaux 
Mixture for the potato rob. The detailed results of this 
trial are to be issued by Mr. Galloway in a special bulletin 
from the Section of Vegetable Pathology; but I will here 
presents brief abstract of the outcome. 
This experiment, in common with the others conducted 
under Mr. Galloway’s direction, was not made on the 
grounds of our own station at Madison, but on the farm 
of Mr. A. L. Hatch, an enterprising farmer of Ithaca, 
Wisconsin. The trial covered somewhat less than half an 
acre, which was nearly in the form of a square. The pota¬ 
toes—Snowflakes—were planted May 31, in hills 3% feet 
apart each way. The first application of Bordeaux Mixt¬ 
ure was made July 3, at which date the tops were from 
3 to 15 inches high, and apparently entirely healthy. Other 
applications were made on July 14 and 25, August 6 and 19, 
and September 2. The applications were made with the 
“ Little Climax ” force pump and Nixon nozzle. It was 
found that by simply laying two thicknesses of cheese 
cloth over the suction tube of the pump, no trouble was 
experienced from clogging the nozzle. 
The mixture was prepared by slaking six pounds of lime 
in one vessel, and dissolving four pounds of copper sulphate 
in another, uniting the contents of the two vessels on the 
cooling of the lime, and diluting the whole with water to 
22 gallons. 
Five rows of potatoes extending across the center of the 
plat from north to south, and the same number travers¬ 
ing the center from east to west, were reserved as a check, 
and received no treatment. This divided the plat into 
fonr smaller plats occupying the corners, and thesesmaller 
plats received the treatments. Thus the check rows may 
be assumed to have represented an average of the entire 
plat, and any difference in the yield of the average of these 
check rows, and of the average of the four treated plats, 
when computed to equal areas, may be fairly ascribed to 
the treatment. 
Now for the result: At the time of the fifth spraying, 
(August 19) it was evident that the treatment was proving 
beneficial, as the foliage of the check rows was becoming 
yellow, and in places apparently dying, while that of the 
treated portions of the plat was still fresh and green. As 
the season advanced, the effects of the treatment became 
more marked. During my visit to Mr. Hatch’s place in 
the latter part of September, the check rows were con¬ 
spicuous at a distance of several rods from the field, owing 
to their brown and dry appearance, while the vines on the 
treated plats were still, for the most part, green and grow¬ 
ing. A frost on December 28 destroyed the living portion 
of the foliage. On harvesting the crop, it appeared from 
our best means of calculation that the actual increase of 
crops on the four treated plats, based on an area for the 
four plats of 1,520 hills, amounted to 1,503 pounds of mer¬ 
chantable potatoes, or approximately a pound to the hill. 
This is at the rate, in round numbers, of 50 bushels per 
acre. The cost of the treatment for labor and material 
was about $10 for the area treated, but the expense for 
labor could have been much reduced by using a larger 
force pump. 
One of the most interesting features of this experiment 
is yet to be told. No decayed potatoes were found at the 
time of harvest either in the check rows or in the treated 
areas. Specimens of the blighted foliage were forwarded 
In August to Mr. Galloway for examination, and he pro¬ 
nounced that the blight was not the potato rot fungus. 
What then was it that had so materially affected the foli¬ 
age and the yield of the crop ? A similar blight occurred 
on our potatoes at Madison, and appears to have been gen¬ 
eral through southern Wisconsin. Moreover, I am assured 
by observing potato growers that the trouble is no new 
occurrence, but has prevailed to a greater or less extent 
for years. It has doubtless often been confused with the 
normal dying of the potato foliage. At the last meeting 
of the Society for the Promotion of Agricultural Science, 
Prof. Burrill alluded to a disease of potatoes as prevailing 
in Illinois, which. I infer, may have been the same, and in 
bulletin No. 8, Vol. 3. of the Ohio Experiment Station, 
Prof. Weed refers to a similar disease. If these allusions 
are all to the disease that attacked’our Wisconsin potatoes 
the past season, it would be of great interest to know how 
extensive was its attack, and how long it has prevailed. 
A point of economic interest mentioned by Mr. Hatch is 
that he found it unnecessary to apply any insecticide for 
the potato beetle where he used the Bordeaux Mixture, the 
latter appearing either to destroy the beetles or to drive 
them away. g, g # goff. 
University of Wisconsin. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Deep Plowing.—S ome of our writers on sub soil plow¬ 
ing have told us how a deep and thorough stirring enabled 
the soil to absorb and retain moisture that would other¬ 
wise have washed away from it or sunk through it. This 
deep and fine stirring is found necessary in irrigated re¬ 
gions where the water supply is limited. A California 
paper gives the following account of the way a farmer in 
that State went to worx to fit his ground for fruit. His 
soil was deep enough to stand it. 
‘ Taking off all but two plows from his gang, he at¬ 
tached ten mules, weighted the plow down and sent it 
into the soil 12 to 13 inches. He was able to do this be¬ 
cause the ground had been plowed and cross-plowed a 
number of times. Following this team came a subsoiler 
with 14 mules attached, and which went into the earth 
from 30 to 32 inches from the surface, tearing up the sub¬ 
soil in a way that has seldom, if ever, been equaled in this 
county. If this land does not take in and hold, perennial¬ 
ly, all the moisture which comes down from heaven, it 
will be because the surface is not kept free from weeds or 
because there is no efficacy In deep plowing.” 
A Harness Attachment.— Mr. Jos. Hannan, of Bar¬ 
tholomew County, Ind., sends this drawing of his device for 
holding down a horse that is inclined to rear and prance : 
Fig. 17 1. 
It is made complete with four snaps, one ring and one 
buckle, as shown in tue cut. To put on the contrivance 
snap the ends marked B to the rings in the breeching 
straps, bring the ends A inside the girth, pass up through 
loop in the breast strap, and snap to the rings in the bits. 
Evaporating Potatoes.—The Rural’s remarks on 
evaporating Irish potatoes move me to say that though I 
have never seen them dried, the drying of sweet potatoes 
is a perfect success. I mention this so that some of our 
Northern friends may try it when they can get them cheap 
In the fall, and so be secure of a winter supply. They dry 
easily and quickly even in the sun, and with one of the 
portable evaporators of the American Company it is sim¬ 
ply fun to run them through. They are pared and sliced, 
of course. Steaming brings them back to their normal 
condition, and If a dish is filled with these steamed slices, 
and some butter and sugar are spread over the top, and 
they are put into the oven and baked, they are a dish fit 
for a king. They are also as useful for pies as the winter 
squashes and pumpkins of Yankeedom, and better. We 
formerly dried them in Virginia, but here, in North Caro¬ 
lina, where potatoes are kept over so easily and we can 
buy old potatoes until June at 50 cents per bushel, it 
doesn’t pay. w p M# 
Raleigh, N. C. 
The Raising of Cream. 
The separation of cream from milk is effected in various 
ways, either by Increasing the density of the fluid or by 
decreasing [its viscosity. Milk is a viscous or adhesive 
fluid, and this quality is given to it by the solution of 
casein and sugar in it; consequently the verj small partlcl^ 
of butter suspended in it move through it with difficulty 
unless the fluid is thinned by dilution with water, or the 
relative specific gravity of the milk and the butter is 
changed by increasing the density of the fluid. This is 
done by cooling the milk with ice water, when the butter 
rises as freely through 18 or 20 inches of it in a deep pail 
in 12 hours as it does in 36 hours in a pan only three or 
four inches deep. It is done also in the centrifuge in 
which, by the centrifugal force a great pressure is obtained 
and the density of the milk is increased. Thus the milk is 
made to force the lighter particles of butter to the center 
where the cream gathers. 
In the newly invented process of Mr. Berrigan—see page 
431—he has, it seems, accidentally applied this same pres¬ 
sure in another way, viz., by compressed air, the result of 
which is practically the same as that which occurs in the 
centrifuge. Whether this new process will displace the 
centrifuge or not depends upon its easier and cheaper ap¬ 
plication. If it is more effective and economical it will do 
so unquestionably. But the principle of its application is 
the same. h. stewart. 
Plenty of Dried Raspberries. 
I was surprised to read in a recent number of Tiie R. 
N.-Y. that there was only a small quantity of dried fruit— 
and especially dried raspberries—to be carried over the 
summer, and therefore that prices would probably be high 
next fall for the new crop. It would be simply cruel to let 
such an impression prevail, and I refer The Rural to Mr. 
Michael Doyle, of Rochester, N. Y. as to the prospects, he 
being the best posted man in the country on that article. 
There are hundreds of barrels of evaporated raspberries 
held in the country to-day, many of them for 30 to 35 cents 
per pound, and the highest price here to-day is 19 cents. If 
the impression prevails that prices will be high, so that the 
bulk of the crop will be dried, prices may drop to 15 cents, 
as they did a few years ago. The immense and increasing 
crops of dried fruits made in California are bringing us to a 
lower plane of prices than ever before, and this should 
be known by every farmer and fruit raiser in the East. 
New York City. A c w 
K. N.-Y,.—Our information came from what we consider¬ 
ed good authority. In any event, our advice to evaporate 
berries rather than let them waste is worth heeding. 
The Michigan Berry Business. 
I secure pickers mostly in my immediate neighborhood; 
but many come miles to pick and take pay mostly In ber¬ 
ries. They are paid so much a quart. A fair day’s work is 
100 quarts of strawberries, some pick 140. From 50 to 75 
quarts of black raspberries make a good day’s work—less 
of the reds. The berries are sorted when they do not run 
even. They are picked one day—mostly in the afternoon— 
and taken to market early next morning in spring 
wagons—distance about seven miles. I use quart packages* 
except for red raspberries; for them I use pints—16 quart 
crates. I make no effort to utilize the surplus or inferior 
fruit, as our market takes all. I aim not to have much In¬ 
ferior stuff. The prospects for this season’s business are 
good. The first blossoms of the strawberries were mostly 
killed by the frost, but the later blossoms are developing 
finely, and a timely rain has turned discouragement Into 
hope. The later blossoms which usually produce much in¬ 
ferior fruit from previous exhaustion of the plant, will 
now it is expected, produce fruit equal to the first picking 
East Paris, Mich. H . 
