FROST ON EARLY POTATOES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 425, 18 August 1908, Page 4

FROST ON EARLY POTATOES.

Mr H. F. Blanchett writes as follows to the Auckland Herald : “ Experimenting some years ago I discovered that wood ashes would instantly take out frost, no matter how severe, and leave the growing plant as good, if not better than before. I have many times tried this, and have never known it to fail. The method of application is as follows :—The ashes must be dry from the fire. If they have been allowed to get damp they are not half so effectual, and once wetted are useless. Then, before the sun gets on the potatoes, take the bucket of ashes under the left arm, and with the right hand thoroughly dust the plants as you walk between the rows. In this way four of us have done a quarter of an acre in 20 minutes, and the land has crunched under our feet during the operation. The potatoes look very unsightly until there has been a shower, as the ashes adhere, but after the rain the leaves will be a darker green, have more gloss, and the plants generally have a stronger appearance. I think the effect would be the same on tomatoes, etc., but I have not proved this. It is quite interesting to watch the frost disappear from a plant, which it begins to do the instant the ash is applied, and is gone in a few seconds.”