rows which could then be dug with a harvester. Windrowers were first used at Freetown by Simmons & MarFarlane, Edwin K. Lewis, Cavendish Farms and Garth Toombs. There were four types of potato planters available by this time: the automatic picker, the assisted feed, the cup type, and tuber unit type. These planters could plant up to fifty acres per day in rows thirty—six inches apart. Some planters have an attachment to add a granular pesticide during planting in addition to the potato sets and fertilizer. Disease in the seed is controlled to some degree by the use of various seed treatment pesticides.

Optimum rates for the application of fertilizer and limestone can be made by chemical analysis ofthe soil. During the late 1970’s most farmers were using the service provided by the P.E.I. Dept. of Agriculture at their “Soil & Feed Labratory” in Charlottetown. This labratory advises on the type and amount of fertilizer depending on the variety of potato being grown. Many new kinds of pesticides came into use in the 19705 and 19805. These provided a varied arsenal to combat the many pests which reduce crop yields. This is a list of the more common ones in use in the late 19708 and early 1980s:

Type Trade Name Seed Treatment Polyram, Mancozeb, Ease-out Systemic Insecticides: Temik, DySyston, Thimet, Furadan Pre—Emergent Herbicides: Premerge, Sinox PE, Linuron Herbicides: Lasso, Roundup, Sencor, Lexone, Hoegrass Insecticides: Belmark, Meta-Systox R, Monitor, Sevin Fungicides: Bravo, Dithane M45, Polyram, Easout Top-Killers: Reglone, Dytop, Sinox General Sprout Inhibitors: MH 30 (Maleic hydrazide), CIPC (chlorpropham) Disinfectants: Kem-Germ, Kem-Clean, Cresanol, HY—X

Aerial spraying of potato crops came into use by large growers in the 1970’s. Usually these growers applied the early pesticides by ground Sprayers and when potato vines filled the rows, used aerial spraying to reduce crop damage caused by the crushing of the vines. The only Freetown growers using spray planes are Cavendish Farms Ltd. and Pat Curley.

Spraying potatoes on Lewis’ farm.

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