AN IRISH REMEDY

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 11, 16 March 1905, Page 30

AN IRISH REMEDY

Mr. J. Jamiesbn. of Jamieson and Son, of Christohurcih, recently communicated with the well-known London firm o f M'Douu,all in icfercnce to tlie blight, and in reply has ner-eived the following letter :— From the cuttings you send us it appears that the potato blight which is gn ing, trouble m New Zealand is the same disease as that which has caused such havoc at different times in Ireland. The disease has been fairly effectually coped with in Ireland by means of spraying a solution of copper sulphate and lime and copper sulphate and washing soda. We are sending you a few of the leaflets issued by the Home Government upon the disease, which you will probably find useful and interesting. The spraying is done by various machines, worked either by hand or horse-power, according to the acreage to be dealt with. For small plots of potatoes a knapsack spray would be quite sufficient. With this spray the man carries it on his back, pumps with one hand, and guides) the spray noz7le with the other. For larger acreage there are various devices which can be attached to an ordinary farm cart. One of the most common in us-<e consist« of a bai rel or reservoir to hold the solution. In connection witih this i.s a pump, having five six, or more jets so fixed to the tail of the cart that each jet sprays one row of potatoes. The car is diawn ahoig the rows., and the man standing in the caxt worlds the hand pump. More expensive machines exist by means of which Ihe pumps- are worked from the axle as the machine is drawn along, but such expensive machines are not necessary, as the power required is small, and the "arrangement fixed on an ordinary cart gets o\er a lot of ground in a day.' In tihe leaflet enclosed, which is issued by the Dcpaitment of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland, vano'us methods for dealing with blight are explained. The following instructions are ghjon in regard to using sluKphate of copper a nd washing soda (tlie latter being an alternate e to lime) .— ' The mixture is niaSe in the following proportions 21b sulphate of copj.rr of «)S per cent, purity, 2*lb pine washing soda, and ten gal ons clean water. Or, if a 4 0-g^U on paraffin bariei ot tne v lvttire is to be prepared, the following (|'-rn<Hics will be lequired— namely, 81b sulphate of copper 10! b wishing soda, 40 gallons water. To prepare this mixture proceed to di-,sohe tlie 81b of sulphate of copper in 33 gallons of water in the parafhn barrel Dissohe the 101 b washing sod n m fi\e gallons of water in a separate \e scl Then pour tihe washing soda solution Mowly into the copper slulphale Solution in the barrel .-.tirring continuously. The mixture should then be ready for use, but in order to secure the best results tihe blue littms paper test should also be applied to it II the paper turns led more washing soda m^t be'dissolved and added m small quantities at a time to the mixture until fresh paper put into the solution remains blue It is then quite ready for application. The following points should be kept in mind -_(H All the vessels coming m contact witn the sUphate of copper should be of wood, and rot of metal . (2) it will save much time and anmnance if e \cry possible precaution is takan to ha\e the mixture free from B rit, or any other foreign matter which would stop the muz/les of the sprayers ( 'for this reason tihe water used should be drained through a vwee of cam /as or other suitable cloth) (3) the. milk of lime or waging scda solution should ' al wa\s be poured into the sulphate of copper, aa.fl not cornersely, (!) efTectLve stirnng in excxv stage of the operation is mo*t essential to success ; (5 ) sulphate of c-mper is poisonous therefore the vessels in which sul phate of conner mixtures h.-ue been prepared .should not afterwards) be used to hoIH food or water for consump-