THE STRAWSONISER AND THE POTATO DISEASE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2209, 2 July 1896, Page 7

THE STRAWSONISER AND THE POTATO DISEASE.

' - Dean Swift has said that the. man wti i m ikes two blades of grass to grew where one grew., before is • a greater benetacior of his- kin 3 than the whole racs of stages* men. .It is an extravagant statement, be- .-, cause .wise statesmanship .mikes for ••social -.' ordec .and eettled, government, withput which the' husbandman ' would nob be able to till his fields in peace and securit y. But, like most extravagant statements, Swift's remark contain*, the- germ. Of' truth. The great deans.wo rds • c»me'to roy mind during* a Jarief converßabionLl Bad a few dayff.vgo with Mr.. GrE-. S;raw«pn,\»'- ■*- -gentleman who has done andiidoiog so much ..on.Kbehalf-of the< cultivators* of the soil.' Wfr StraWson^ who is the head of the firm of Straw : . sons; Limited, 77 Qtieen; Victoria street, Lon- ' fion, ihai devoted- nis .attention' for yearn to< • • methods -ofrprevent ing; and arresting-disease in plants. -Bis efforts have bees, attended,- with, •singular sucsess.', Ho may, indeed, be said, to ' hsve conquered the insect • and fungus diseases 'of all kinds of- cultivated crops. A'chemVtl preparation which he patented was many years - ago ttied in' the case of the tcbacw pUnt and the 1 tea. leaf, and with the moßb gratifying re- . Bults.> As a consequence the preparation— which, by ,the way, is known by the name Strawsonite— has -grown enormously in favour, - v tnd- is useel by planters and growers iv all parts of the vforld. , Equal success has attended ' another , application to the phylloxera, which commits i-'such 'ravages 'among" th« vines of , 'Europe. . ' .''.'. Inspired by these facts, Mr Strawson directed Ids atttntion to the potato. A modification of , the constituent elements in. the original preparation, was made, and it was applied forthwith to • potato crops affected with disease. Its success '.ms immediate, and surpassed, its inventor's ! own. anticipations. In Ireland it has become " highly popular. , A Blue Book jost issued dealIng withlrish questions refers to ib as an tffiec- - "tivemcauß of- stoppiDg-diseaje and improving quality. - This fine tribute is consequent upon '. experiment's, with Strawsonite, conducted by Government officials recently on a large tract of -land.; ""•'-.',• In response to, my questions, Mr - Stravrsoa . eaid the demand was growing year by year. ' He thiuks it is only a' queetion of time before it will - be in universal use. . ° . ;, • ."It is only six years since I first took up. ■ " pdtato-»pray'ng," added Mr Strawvm. "The . - ikst year little f&s doue t and. there was much • incredulity ; but the movement quickly 'spread, ' 'toepasb'tao ye'a,ra I have sejrt »\ Strawßohite "all over tha w<jrld."" ' . .- ' ? , ; - *tl belifeve copper and' lime aroused for the ' game purpose as .Strawsouite.?" I inter jtctci. ' . ".Yee,bu'tit is perfectly inapplicable in mc»t■■.'"oqsss: ' Ifoubd itncce«sliryto.maSetheproc«s and dev-Md'of'thoge-tcchnicalities-that' ' made it uncertain anduseless to the'mass of the ...people.". „ . - "Is there any difficulty in usiog your pro--cess?". '-"Not the slightest. A child can make the mixture scientifically correct as well -as an' adult. No paraphernalia is required. -' .The mode of application is exceedingly simple. It is nothing more or less, in- fact, than spraying. . " . - I atked Mr Strawson to what extent Ireland , would be benefited supposing, the process were ' . generally adopted. », .■■ . . - ( , "It would be a big, thing," was^his reply. t , ";You know," he went on,- -*!fchere r are 710,000 acres devoted to .the potato in Ireland. . Well, I calculate .that it would, mean the.extermination of disease ; and more than that, it would neatly double the crop, besides producing a much finer quality of potato." " That is a large order, Mr Strawson." "It miy appear so," was his cgply ; "but I' assure you it is a sober statement of fact. My firm conviction is that universal spraying would produce these effect! in Ireland : (1) Ib would remove the fear of .potato famine ; (2) it, would lead to a finer and better yield of potato - «— in fact,- the increased quantity of potatoes, would run up to millions of tons; (3)»it would make Ireland a , potato-exporting country." "Do you find any prejudice against spray • ;..iDg?" ,:"■-, "Yes; but it is breaking down. Strange to s cay, thougb, there is strong,, opposition to its general use on the part of large growers. Thi3, ' Sbw«ver> springs -from,* selfishness^; .for these ■'- men spray* their own oropsi and »are. anxious to' toonopdlise the goo 4 Quits'. I am afraid I ' ,-must add that they like a good blight ye»r, for then there if money" to be made by dealers." . " Dathe imall farmers objeofc to spray ? " • ■ - «»Nofcat»U; and in Ireknd they are quick ab seeing the advantage, and are a long way ahead ■'■ of the Eaglish and Scotch in' this important • . - - '

" If only h&H 0? what Mr Strawson claims for bis preparation ba reilisstl, then be assuredly is-. a benefaclor of the humm race.— Weskly Sun.