New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 193 
extra labor. This objection has been brought against potato- 
spraying. Farmers say, “We already have more work than we 
can possibly do. We can not find time to spray potatoes.” The 
answer might well be made that the remedy lies in reducing the 
acreage. Twenty acres of sprayed potatoes are likely to yield 
more net profit than 25 acres of unsprayed potatoes and at the 
same time require less labor. 
But there is another and more satisfactory method .¢ solving 
this problem; namely, by hiring the spraying done by a public 
sprayer. Let some one in the neighborhood buy a sprayer and 
spraying materials and make a business of spraying potatoes at 
so much per acre. This method has several advantages. It would 
relieve the farmer of all bother of learning how to spray; it would 
make unnecessary the purchase of several expensive sprayers; 
by purchasing chemicals in large quantities they could be ob- 
tained at low prices; a man making spraying his business would 
soon become expert and able to do it better and more rapidly 
than the farmer could do it for himself; and the farmer would 
be relieved of all the extra work connected with spraying. In 
short, the public sprayer could spray potatoes cheaper and easier 
than the farmer can do it himself and make good wages at the 
same time. 
With a good six-row, power sprayer carrying one nozzle per 
row, a4 man and team should spray 15 acres per day provided 
water is convenient. Making due allowance for bad weather 
and time lost in moving from one-field to another, it would seem 
that one man should be able to manage at least 100 acres of pota- 
toes, spraying them once every two weeks. 
DIRECTIONS FOR SPRAYING.°®® 
In general. commence spraying when the plants are six to 
eight inches high and repeat the treatment at intervals of 10: to 
14 days in order to keep the plants well covered with bordeaux 
throughout the season. During epidemics of blight it may be 
necessary to spray as often as once a week. Usually six appli- 
cations will be required. The bordeaux should contain six pounds 
8 Substantially the same as given in Bulletin 241, p. 292. The experi- 
ences of the past season do not warrant any material alteration in the recom- 
mendations there made. 
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