576 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
AUG 34 
The disease does much of its damaging 
work upon young trees while in nursery rows, 
and it may be of great importance that the 
fungus be attacked there, especially upon the 
young stems, and if the young trees can be 
cleared of it, a long step will be taken to¬ 
ward freeing the orchards. It is hoped that 
next year pear growers will feel inclined to 
test the value of a number of mixtures some of 
which have proved effective in checking the 
ravages of the black-rot—Anthricuosa, etc., 
of the grape. It is probable that a compound 
of sulphate of copper and lime, if sprayed 
upon the trees early and often enough, will 
prevent the spores from germinating and thus 
save the foliage of the trees. The same 
sprayings would hit the flowers and initial 
fruit and thereby prevent the pears from be¬ 
coming infested and disfigured. It is certain¬ 
ly time that something should be done. The 
work of testing for the purpose of finding a 
variety proof against the fungus is not direct 
enough. From a large number of reports it 
is evident that the disease is very general and 
not altogether constant; that is, a variety 
may suffer much in one place and almost es¬ 
cape in another. If the Kieffer and Lawrence 
are less subject to it, who wishes to discard 
all earlier and better sorts for these? This 
fall burn the diseased leaves and worst fruit, 
and next spring spray thoroughly with the 
hope of a crop. 
Orchard Notes. —A limited amount of 
rainfall is a benefit during the blossoming of 
fruit trees, as it apparently destroys a fungus 
that attacks the young fruit. During apple 
blossoming time, we had this year delight¬ 
ful weather, and most varieties of apples 
were destroyed by this fungus when about the 
size of Marrowfat Peas. In the experiment 
of sprinkling a tree during the period of blos¬ 
soming, the leaves were healthier and also 
what little fruit set was sounder than on the 
unsprayed trees. There is an evident differ¬ 
ence in the appearance of the apples where 
the trees have been sprayed for the coddling 
moth. They are fairer and not so wormy. 
It looks as though spraying for the coddling 
moth will pay. Vicar Pears were badly af¬ 
fected with the fungus, although there are 
plenty of fruits left on the trees. The Wealthy 
Apple keeps its reputation forbearing, ripens 
here in September and is a high September 
apple. It is not of high quality and ripens 
when apples are plentiful and prices low. 
Mercer County, N. J. I. J. B. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
THE POTATO CROP. 
Colorado. 
Longmont, Boulder County, August 17.— 
The condition of potatoes is good. There is 
no rot and potatoes are very rarely troubled 
with it. The acreage is 15 per cent, less than 
in 1888. The outlook is fair for an average 
yield. . . c. C. c. 
Connecticut. 
Long Hill, Fairfield County, August 14.— 
Potatoes in this section are hardly worth dig¬ 
ging; nearly all the large ones have rotted. 
Will have about one-quarter crop. Some 
varieties rot worse than others. With me the 
Early Ohio suffered terribly, while the White 
Flowers were nearly all sound; for Hebrons 
and Roses,rot is no name, R. N.-Y. No. 2 
shows no signs of blight; they are a perfect 
potato. G. M. B. 
Bridgeport, Fairfield County, August 20.— 
About one-fifth of the potato crop is rotten, 
and about three-fourths of an average crop 
remains. D. H. w. 
Illinois. 
Aurora, Kane County, August 17.— The 
potato crop in this section is a full average I 
think. No rot that I have heard'of prevails; 
the tubers are fine and worth 20 cents per 
bushel. I have heard that the crop was rot¬ 
ting up north and also in the southern part of 
the State, but 1 have nothing reliable on the 
matter. d. v. s. 
Waukegan, Lake County, August 16.—The 
potato crop is first-rate (100 per cent.) tubers 
very large and of good quality. There is no 
rot at present; if the weather keep dry for a 
week or two they w ill be safe from rot. 
c. w. 
Kankakee County, August 18. —There 
is an immense crop of choice potatoes in this 
immediate vicinity and so far I have heard 
no complaint of rotting. Prices are very low 
owing to the systematic canvassing of our 
town by peddlers, causing a light demand at 
the grocers'. Early varieties are mostly 
grown. I dug one hill yesterday from an out¬ 
side row and got 4j^ pounds of monsters (a 
late variety), and 1 dug two hills of the same 
to-day and got over 6^ pounds from both; 
three of the tubers weighed four pounds. I 
plant one foot by 32 inches and according to 
the Rural trench method. G. o. G. 
Indiana- 
Greensburg, Decatur County, August 15. 
—This is not a potato raising county. Large 
quantities are shipped in every year to supply 
the market. Foreign potatoes will often sell 
at twice the price of home-grown. The po¬ 
tato crop though was never better here than 
this year. They are of large size and excel¬ 
lent quality. They are sold to the stores now 
at 25 and 35 cents per bushel. w. 0. f. 
Iowa. 
Des Moines, Polk County, August 17.— 
There is no rot among potatoes, though the 
crop is badly damaged by grub-worms. 
Most farmers have dug their early crop and 
there is not more than half of an average, 
while the quality is poor. The late crop is 
hardly up to half an average, though favor¬ 
able weather for three weeks may make quite 
a change for the better. Grubs are bad in 
this crop too. F. s. w. 
Dow City, Crawford County, August 16.— 
The potato crop is good here. Frosts in May 
injured the crop on bottom lands; but the up¬ 
land crop is good and the average will be 
fully up to that of former years. J. b. p. 
Hamas. 
Edwardsville, Wyandotte County, Au¬ 
gust 16.—Potatoes hore are not rotting. The 
crop is a strong average, as to yield, and the 
acreage is slightly in excess of that in any 
former year. Early Ohio is mainly grown. 
More acres of potatoes are raised here than of 
com and wheat together. E. T. 
Maryland. 
Oakland, Garrett County, August 15.— 
The condition of potatoes in our neighbor¬ 
hood is very poor owing to excessive wet. 
They are rotting and the flea-beetle has de¬ 
stroyed the foliage, which adds greatly to the 
short yield. There will be scarcely one-half 
of an average crop. H. w. 
Easton, Northampton County, August 15.— 
The Irish potato crop in this county is always 
small both in the number of acres planted and 
in the yield per acre. This year much of the 
seed of the early crop rotted in the ground. 
Where the stand was good, very light land 
yielded fairly. Elsewhere the potatoes rotted 
badly both in the ground and after they were 
dug. The fate of the late crop, planted from 
June 15—30, is yet uncertain. There has 
been very little trouble from the Colorado 
beetle this year. c. F. E. 
Minnesota. 
Breckenridge, Wilkin County, August 17. 
—Owing to a very dry summer, potatoes in 
this locality are a very short crop. Prices are 
high. Of course, none are rotting; but I think 
we will not have over one-half a crop. 
H. E. B. 
New Hampshire. 
South Pittsfield, Merrimack County, 
August 17. —Blight or fungous growth first ap¬ 
peared on potato vines three weeks since and 
it was confined to no one locality in the State 
and strong fears are entertained that it will 
soon reach the tubers. The unusual combina¬ 
tions of cool, dry weather will retard the 
growth of fuDgus. Not one per cent, of the 
small portion now harvested is diseased. The 
crop would have been above the average but 
most vines are now dead and less thau a-halt 
crop is the probability. Coos County is the 
great potato-growing region and the prospects 
of an average crop there are very poor. 
G. R. D. 
North Hampton, Rockingham County, 
August 16.—We are barely getting two-thirds 
of a crop of potatoes. Of this amount 20 per 
cent, have rotted. Potatoes are now being 
sold at 50 ceDts per bushel. G. e. t. 
New Jersey. 
Penn’s Grove, Salem County, August 19. 
—This has been a poor year for farmers and 
truckers in this section. The grass crop was 
good; but was badly damaged in the making. 
Early potatoes, scalded early on high ground, 
and rotted late on low ground, and the late 
crop is badly damaged by the heavy rains. 
Watermelons are almost a total failure; many 
patches will not yield 25 good melons to the 
acre, and some not one, the vines having been 
dead for two weeks. The early tomato crop 
was short and the late crop bids fair to be the 
same, Many patches have been scalded, and 
on the best the latest sets have fallen off. 
Sweet potatoes look fair, but there cannot be 
a full crop, and if the prices rule as low as 
they have ruled for the last four years many 
truckers cannot make their expenses, h arms 
that have been offered for sale in this section 
the past three years have found slow sale, and 
if the prices and crops continue as poor in the 
future as they have been in the past few 
years, few farms will change hands except at 
very low figures. E. G. B. 
New York. 
Coxsackie, Greene County, August 17.—As 
for my own potatoes, the Early Beauty of 
Hebrons are on a sandy soil and I find no rot¬ 
ten ones; there is an extra good crop; but 
my Rural Blush are on ground not so dry, and 
a little clayey. They are an extra crop but 
are rotting somewhat. My neighbors all find 
some rotten tubers. The crop is extra good 
all about here; but we have had so much 
rain and it is so warm between the showers 
that we expect to lose some by rot. There 
have been very few dug yet; only enougn for 
use, as nearly every farmer is still working in 
the hay field. We generally expect to finish 
haying about July 25th, but here is a record 
of the last five weeks: during the first week 
there were two days—Monday and Saturday— 
and during the second week, five days, 
which gave us a chance to get in most 
of our oats; during the third week 
no one about here had a team harnessed; dur¬ 
ing the fourth week there were two dry days— 
Monday and Tuesday—and during the fifth 
week,which closed to-night—we had Monday 
and Friday and Saturday without rain, so 
you see that we have had a hard time for 
gathering hay. Cora about here is generally 
very poor. J. H. L. 
Burnt Hills, Saratoga County.—Not many 
potatoes dug as yet; yield not good; on low 
ground a complete failure; about one-third 
rotten on upland I should judge. Vines of 
late potatoes all dead. About the usual acre¬ 
age planted; ground very wet at present. 
J. H. T. 
Batavia, Genesee County, August 15.— Our 
potato crop is showing the first, or commence¬ 
ment. of blight, to quite an extent, in the 
tops though it is possible with favorable 
weather following, not to lose the tubers to 
much extent by their rotting, only their qual¬ 
ity [and farther growth are said to be much af¬ 
fected. Tne weather is now cooler and drier, 
giving hopes of escaping a disastrous failure. 
H. i. 
Deer Park, Suffolk County, August 15.— 
Potatoes are rotting in this vicinity, but to 
what extent I cannot say at present as but 
few have been dug. Of the 60 or 70 bushels 
that we have just dug there was only about 
one bushel of rotten ones. d. c. 
Cutchogue, Suffolk County, August 14.— 
There are very few pieces of potatoes here 
that are not rotting. Few of the farmers 
have begun to dig as yet, so it is hard to tell 
what damage is done. As the vines were 
killed so early I should not think we would 
have more than half a crop. L. w. 
Kingston, Ulster County, August 12.— 
Best authorities agree that the loss from rot 
is fully 50 per cent. Many fields will not be 
dug at all. h. h. 
Bath, Steuben County, August 17. —Pota 
toes are rotting very badly; not over one- 
third of an average crop will be realized. 
Some people are intending to dig soon on ac¬ 
count of the rot. Potatoes promised a good 
yield and fine quality until struck with the 
blight. G. M. D. 
Apulia, Onondaga County, August 16.— 
Potatoes are all blighted and are rotting. 
Early Rose are not worth digging and Blush 
are commencing to rot; they look now as if 
they would not be over one-fourth of a crop. 
I planted one bushel of the Rural No. 2; I 
have not discovered any rotten ones in them 
yet. All potato vines never looked better be¬ 
fore the blight struck them. Farmers are all 
discouraged over this year’s crop. E. G. w. 
Greenwich, Washington County, August 
16.—Potatoes are rotting badly. Some fields 
are struck with rust; vines dead. Prospect 
now is there will not be over one-half the usu¬ 
al crop. It is a little early to predict to what 
extent the rotting and rusting will lessen the 
crop. T. G. s. 
Clyde, Wayne County. —Early pota¬ 
toes are rotting badly. The tops of late ones 
are dying. All the indications point towards 
a very light yield—probably less than half an 
average crop. B. w. 
Cortland, Cortland County, August 
15. — Farmers in our county are fearing 
rot much since the appearance of the blight. 
It is too early yet to make an estimate intelli¬ 
gently on the extent of an apparent loss. I 
think we can calculate on about two-tnirds 
of an average yield. m. r. w. 
Ohio. 
Hudson, Summit County, August 17.— Po¬ 
tatoes are rotting some, but I cannot yet say 
to what extent, in some places blight of 
some kind killed early ones too soon. Some 
report heavy loss, others but little. Late po¬ 
tatoes are also dying too soon. It is a good 
deal of a guess yet; but I doubt whether this 
locality has over half of last year’s crop per 
acre planted. T. b. t. 
Wellsville, Columbiana County, August 
15.—Potatoes are rotting some in the ground, 
I cannot tell to what extent yet, but do not 
anticipate anything serious. There will 
probably be an average crop, as potatoes are 
looking fine at present. F. p. L. 
Plymouth, Richland County, August 16.— 
As far as 1 can learn potatoes are somewhat 
better than an average crop. No rot as yet, 
but we have had a little too much rain. J. b. 
Winona, Columbiana County, August 14 — 
There was a large acreage of potatoes planted 
last spring but excessive wet weather causing 
weedy patches, together with a very large 
crop of Colorado beetles and flea beetles will 
shorten the crop considerably. Prospects 
now for about two-thirds or nearly 75 bushels 
per aero. Prices are low. w. w. 
Pennsylvania. 
Justus, Lackawanna County, August 15.— 
Owing to the wet season not more than two- 
thirds of the usual acreage of potatoes has 
been planted. We hear complaints of their 
rotting, but do not know to what extent it will 
affect the crop as it is too early to form any 
opinion. There certainly will not be more 
than one-third of last year’s crop in this lo¬ 
cality. G. w. G. 
Fritz Town, Berks County, August 19.— 
I judge about one-quarter of the potato crop 
is rotten already. If the rot keeps on at this 
rate it will probably take half of our crop in 
this neighborhood. s. s. 
Knox, Clarion County, August 17.— 
Potatoes are rotting badly. Some patches 
are hardly worth digging. I am safe 
in saying that the crop iu this section will not 
be half an average crop. I have planted five 
different kinds of the leading varieties and see 
no difference a3 to rot. b. f. k. 
Vermont. 
South Newfane, Windham County, Au¬ 
gust 19.—1 have made a personal examination 
of my own fields and have inquired of my 
neighbors as to theirs. Ou August 2nd, in this 
vicinity growing potatoes came to a dead 
halt, the tops all turning black aud the leaves 
dropping. On moist or wet land the tubers 
are rotting badly but not much on dry or 
sandy land. One-half of an average crop was 
grown and 10 per cent, of these were rotten, 
giving us to-day about 40 per cent, of an 
average crop. As usual, my potatoes will 
remain in the ground, except what we use in 
the family, till it is decided whether they will 
all rot. If it prove safe to dig them I shall 
put them in the cellar the same day. s. m. 
Vernon, Windham County, August 16.— 
But few potatoes are dug as yet; more acreage 
thau common planted, those on dry upland 
are not rotting any yet, where planted on 
lowland aud on clay soil, they are rotting 
some. The worst field that has been dug, 
(clay soil) had one-feurth spotted. Taking 
the increased acreage, I think there will be an 
average total amount in bushels. So much 
wet weather a few farmers not done haying 
yet. No wheat raised; rye and oats sprouted 
in field, damaged one-half; corn looking well, 
bidding fair for more than an average crop. 
k. p. J. 
Wisconsin. 
Watertown, Jefferson County, August 17. 
—Potatoes are more than an average crop, 
the best for many years. I have not heard 
of any rotting. Probably they will be very 
low in price here this fall. J. M. C. F. 
Green Bay, Brown County, August 15.— 
We have experienced an unusually cool aud 
dry summer in this vicinity, very favorable 
for the growth of potatoes, but the late 
drought had ripened potato vines premature¬ 
ly, which will bring it to an average crop, 
otherwise a crop far above the average would 
have resulted. No rot has been noticed so 
far, aud will not appear unless we get very 
damp and hot weather before harvest. 
G. E. T. K. 
