BLIGHTED POTATOES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1961, 19 January 1914, Page 8

BLIGHTED POTATOES.

SEVERE OUTBREAK IX THE SOUTH. .\ gcntlomaii who last week travelled extensively through the greater part of tlii> potato areas lying between Timaru and Maheno, speaking'to a "Lyttelton Times" reporter, painted a very'gloomy picture of the crop outlook.' Kverywhere the tubers have been attacked vrith disease, and many crops nro.already beyond redemption, whilst the disease is making rapid and alarming headway amongst the later crops. In many cases all that remain of rlio haulms are the blackened stems, and in innumerable instances the owners, despairing of securing any returns, liavo decided to have the land ploughed up as soon as possible. "The sight," he said, "is certainly a sad one, and it is safe to say that tho returns from the AVillowbridgo districts this year lvill be very small; indeed, it would appear tha.t the crop will not be much more than sufficient for local requirements. I spent some hours on tho famous Willowbridge potato area, and was grieved to see that little remained but bare stems. Scarcely a field remained where, thoro wero not distinct traces of disease. Spraying on an extensive scale is being done, but I am afraid these precautionary measures wore taken in hand much too late, as experience has shown that once the plants have been attacked it is difficult to stem tho progress of the disease. ,