POTATO BLIGHT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 666, 17 November 1909, Page 10

POTATO BLIGHT.

' -ANOTHER OUTBREAK REPORTED. . According, to somo Auckland merchants the blight has made its appearance in their district. Within the last fortnight instances havo been roported of potato 'patches being ap- • parcntly. in splendid condition ono evening,, but blackcncd with blight next morning; -Crops at Pukekohe, 1 : at ■ Panmure, and in the. Northern •Waikato ara stated: to be among those smitten. .In consequence-of this, largo growers who depend.on their potato crops for a' living are going in for vigorous spraying.' Those holding small "areas in and around Auckland are digging up their, crops, and, although the supply of'old potatoes from the south has ccased, and .the, market;has-to depend on.'the'new tubers locally - grown, >it •is thought likely that the market may shortly contain a certain quantity of . weedy,'immature stock during" November ■and ; December. : The upper part of the Waikato district (known as. the early potato area) -generally ,supplies Auckland, and. if the blight continues to -spread an inferior ; class of potato may • reach the maTket. Iho opinion- is generally expressed,' however, that if spraying is carried out assiduously the crops' will be safely carried to maturity, and as .there large area planted this-year (larger"than'usual)'it is unliliely that the supplies will be uncomfortably small, or that potatqes will--reach the\ extremely high prices which ruled a few years-ago, when the blight mode its first appearance in the Dominion.