244 REPORT OF THE BOTANICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE 
VOLUNTEER EXPERIMENTS. 
In 1904 the Station began collecting and recording the 
results of potato spraying experiments made by farmers in 
all parts of the State. As these experiments are carried out 
entirely by the farmers themselves we call them volunteer ex- 
periments. It is probable that, in some cases, the yields, ex- 
pense of spraying and other data given for the volunteer 
experiments are not as accurate as are those given for the 
farmers’ business experiments. Nevertheless, they are valu- 
able. They supplement the regular business experiments. By 
bringing together the results of a large number of business 
experiments and volunteer experiments extending over several 
consecutive seasons the Station hopes to be able to answer 
definitely the question, Does it pay to spray potatoes in New 
York? We are under obligations to the many farmers who 
have assisted in this work and take this opportunity to express 
our appreciation of their services. The experiments are to be 
continued at least three years longer and it is hoped that we 
may continue to have the hearty codperation of potato growers 
throughout the State. All who spray potatoes with bordeaux 
mixture are requested to leave a few rows unsprayed in order 
that it may be determined how much the yield is increased by 
spraying. The product of unsprayed and sprayed rows adja- 
cent should be weighed or measured and the length of the 
rows measured so that the yields may be accurately deter- 
mined. We cannot use experiments in which the yields have . 
been only estimated. Neither can we use experiments in which 
the application of poison to the unsprayed rows has been 
neglected. | 
The following tabie shows the principal results of the eleven 
volunteer experiments reported in 1908.. The marked decline 
in the number of volunteer experiments is probably due, in 
part, to the present lack of interest in spraying owing to the 
scarcity of blight during the past two seasons. There are also 
other reasons. 
