Show INJURY TO POTATOES result of interesting experiment at new york station to insure efficient it necessary to have comparatively holh humidity sprouted condition a factor by F C in treating a quantity of beed pota toes with formaldehyde gas for scab at the new yorla experiment station many of them were so severely injured that they were unfit for seed the injury took the form of sunken brown spots surrounding the gentl eels and eyes the gas was generated by the permanganate method using the standard formula of three pints of formaldehyde solution and 23 ounces of potassium permanganate to each 1 cubic feet of space an invest gallon into the cause of the injury placed the blame chiefly upon the small quantity 15 pounds of pota toes per cubic foot of space in the tu ml gatlon chamber the high relative humidity of the air and the sprouted condition 0 the potatoes were imbor tant accessories numerous investigations have shown that in order to insure efficient it Is necessary to have a corn high humidity in dis infecting seed potatoes professor morse recommends that just before placing the formaldehyde in the generator the floor of the chamber should be thoroughly wet down with boiling water in cellars and storerooms store rooms suitable for seed potatoes the humidity is natu rally high the sprouted condition of the potato Is also a factor in the hu by the property of absorption the potatoes seize and hold the formal gas upon their surface it there are few potatoes they absorb so much gas that the tissue Is injured but when the gas Is distributed over a large quantity of potatoes it does not gather at any point in sufficient quantity to cause injury in our experiments various degrees of spotting occurred with all quantities up to 12 pounds per cubic foot but no injury appeared when five pounds or more per cubic toot were v 0 8 w fi t t r d w T t it y t potato injured by fumigation with formaldehyde gas used the gas treatment Is to be recommended only in cases in which the liquid treatment Is impracticable with the gas treatment it Is evl dent that in order to secure uniform results the quantity of the chemicals must be varied according to the quantity ot potatoes per cubic foot of space at present the only formula which can be recommended as being both safe and efficient for scab Is that of three pints of formaldehyde and 23 ounces of permanganate to bushels of potatoes in 1000 cubic feet of space similar spotting of potatoes results from exposure to the fumes of ammonia bromine or ether and from dipping or soaking in strong solutions of corrosive sublimate and formaldehyde however in the use of formaldehyde malde hyde solution the quantity of potatoes treated has no appreciable influence on the degree of the injury the same solution my be used at least ten times without loss of strength |