New YorK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 103 
begun at the Station. ‘However, it may be said that the writers 
themselves already have decided opinions on the subject. The 
object of the experiments is to produce evidence which shall be 
so conclusive that farmers generally will be convinced and prac- 
tice spraying. 
It is our opinion that it does pay well to spray potatoes. In 
some seasons it pays much better than in others, but, if properly 
managed, it will not result in loss in any Season. Many persons 
think that spraying is useful only in preventing blight and rot. 
This is a mistake. Numerous experiments show that spraying 
increases the yield considerably, even when the plants are not 
attacked by blight. Bordeaux mixture stimulates the potato 
leaves to produce more starch. Then, too, it has been shown that 
“bugs ” and flea-beetles are kept more thoroughly under control 
by spraying with bordeaux mixture than by any other method. 
Farmers certainly do not realize how great is the damage done 
by “bugs” and flea-beetles. The common methods of fighting 
these insects are not as effective as they should be. For the most 
part flea-beetles go unchecked. ‘“ Bugs” are poisoned with paris 
green, which is either applied in dry form by means of a powder 
gun or in water by means of a sprinkler. By either method a 
large proportion of the “ bugs ” usually escape and the plants are 
more or less stripped of their leaves. In many cases the paris 
ereen treatment is applied two or three times and large quantities 
of the poison used. Still the “‘ bugs” thrive, while the foliage is 
often seriously injured by the paris green. Paris green applied 
dry almost always does some injury to the foliage. The same 
thing often happens when it is used in pure water, but when it 
is used in lime water the foliage is not injured. Of course 
“bugs” can be thoroughly controlled with paris green, but as 
a matter of fact they usually are not controlled, and considerable 
damage results. | 
When potatoes are sprayed three times or more with bordeaux 
mixture there is no trouble with “ bugs,” no damage done by 
them, and there is no paris green injury to the foliage. All that 
‘is necessary is to add paris green to the bordeaux at the rate of 
one-half to three-fourths of a pound to each 50 gallons of bor- 
deaux. Spraying also prevents a considerable part of the dam- 
