Excerpt from Canada Department of Agriculture, Central Experimental Farm, Report of the Entomologist and Botanist, 1904<br><br>Potatoes were in most districts a satisfactory cr0p. The Colorado Potato Beetle was less aggressive than for many years, and no new enemies of prime importance were reported. The Potato Aphis occurred at Mahone Bay, in Nova Scotia, and did some harm but this is an insect which so far has only appeared at long intervals. The Potato Rot has been rather prevalent and destructive. In Prince Edward Island 'the root crops were good - potatoes never better nor less attacked by pests of any kind.' (rev. A. E. Burke.) At the Provincial Exhibition held at Charlottetown in September last, the exhibit of potatoes was simply wonderful, the tubers being even in size and remarkably free of blemish. In Nova Scotia the crop was a good average one, with little mention of rot. In Ontario there was a large yield, but considerable rot appeared, especially on heavy soil or on low land; the extent of the loss is var iously estimated at from 20 to 50 per cent. In British Columbia, Mr. J. R. Anderson says: 'potatoes are decidedly under the average in those sections where the best qualities are produced; fair on low lands; prices firm. The yield of other root crops is about normal, but short in some of the higher regions, although the quality is good?<br><br>Spraying potato fields with Bordeaux mixture to prevent injury by the Potato Bot has again shown the great value of this useful remedy. Four sprayings on August 1, 15, 31 and September 14, gave potatoes absolutely free of all traces of disease This was on light sandy land, and, as a rule, one or two more sprayings would be advisable. The saving from this treatment for Potato Rot is now so well established and so many object lessons have been given at fall exhibitions and on the experimental farms, that it is a most remarkable thing that more farmers and others do not practise such a simple method of saving a large proportion of their crop. Although, as with every other remedy, there is a variation in the amount of protection, in every instance that has come under my notice, and these have been many since we began to spray potatoes on the experimental farms, to show farmers what an excellent remedy it is - it has been invariably shown that spraying potatoes with the Bordeaux mixture to prevent Potato Rot always pays. Every year such demonstration plots have been grown since 1891, and, besides this, the Horticulturist and Agriculturist now spray all their potatoes as an economic method of obtaining as big a crop as possible.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.