§ MR. J. P. FARRELLI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that potato disease has already extensively appeared in the Western portion of the County Cavan; and can he state whether potato spraying has been recommended in this district by the local authorities, or have steps been taken by the Government to make the application of strawsonite to prevent disease easy of access to the poorer class of the inhabitants, to whom the potato crop is so essentially necessary?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI understand that the potato disease has made its appearance in some parts of the County Cavan, but that the potato crop, generally, looks green and healthy and no substantial damage has yet been done to the tubers. There appears indeed to be every reason to believe that the yield of the crop will be equal to, if not above the average. I am not aware that the spraying of the potato plant with strawsonite or other solutions has been recommended by the local authorities in West Cavan. Copies of the leaflets prepared by the Agricultural Department of the Land Commission with directions for the use of spraying machines and various mixtures used, 1686 were largely circulated amongst Boards of Guardians in Cavan and elsewhere, together with the recent special Report of experiments conducted by the Department in the season of 1895. Everything has been done by Government which experience suggested, to give publicity to these documents, and otherwise to bring home to the minds of the farming classes in Ireland the beneficial results following upon a timely application of, the solutions referred to, and the Government believe that the efficacy of these applications is now very well known throughout the country. Notwithstanding this, however, I am informed that only a small proportion of the farmers: in West Cavan have made use of these; appliances and solutions during the past season.