POTATO SPRAYING.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1948, 3 January 1914, Page 8

POTATO SPRAYING.

_ Although- it has boon demonstrated time and again that tho only safe course t<j'adopt ,iu order to make sure of tho safety of_a potato crop is to'frequently and persistently spray, there are many growers who prefer to take tho risk that tho season will bo unfavourable for the, presence of blight, with the result that many tons'of valuable tubers are ruined every year (states a writer in the Timaru "HeraM"). An acquaintance of tho writer, who has mado a practice of growing potatoes every season for the past fifteen years, has not lost a top of 'i nis crop from blights during tho whole of that time. His average area under, crop runs to about twenty acres and a practice of spraying the growing foliage at least"'four times is .consistently adhered'to. This grower has proved to his satisfaction that tho disasters occasioned by blights can always bo prevented by this, means. Somo years ago vhen prac-' ti?ally tho wholo of the Dominion's potato crop wa3 devastated by fungoid diseases, the. farm under notice had a particularly heavy and healthy yield, which v.'as sold at extraordinarily high prices for' seed' purpoEos tho following year. Whilo somo farmers are prepared to go to a. great deal of troublo to ensure tho safety of "their crops, there are others who admit tho to., do.it be'(;ausiji .it?ehtails eorisiHcfajite.tfine and trouble,' "therefore undue ■ risks arc frequently taken,