The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-11-06
Potato Show In Ohio.

Correspondent Country Gentleman.
Your correspondent has just finished two daye'
labor as awarding committee on the potatoes at
the Summit county, Ohio, fair, held In Akron,
which for variety and quality was ahead of any
thing l have ever before seen. In this county
lives T. B. Terry. whose reputation az pota-
to-erower is national. and from whose success
have no doubt an influence emanates which Is
partly seen in this excellent exhibit There
were close on 500 entries of something over 150
varieties; besides this, there was a collection for
exhibition from Mr.. Stine. Of this county, OF $50
boxes, said to represent as many different va
rieties. This exhibition in itself would have
been an instructive study had they been named
in Q legible manner, which they were not, and
consequently nothing could be learned further
than looking them over aud seeing how dissim-
lar or how similar some Of the varieties We're to
each other.
With few exceptions. the varieties for compe-
tition were true to name, and Represented per-
feet types of the leading kinds in cultivation
To those Of your readers who believe IN the
deterioration Of the Early Rose, Beauty OF Heb
ron snd some other kinds, would say that
there were here exhibited some of the finest
specimens of these varieties ever saw, and in
conversation with the growers OF them could
not find one who thinks any OF our varieties are
deterloratinR, except where an injudicious So
lection of seed 10 kept up year after year. am
convinced that by carefully selecting the best
shaped, medium-sized potatoes year after year
there is no danger OF any variety running out
select any of their seed, be it potatoes or
| corn, or in fact anything else, or who
make any pretense Of keeping varieties sepa-
ratel They may possibly keep the early and
| late sorts apart as they mature at different
| times, but such kinds as Early Rose, Beauty Of
Hebron, Clark's No. and others of this type
are found mixed, and the method Of selecting
| is generally done by selling the best and keep
| ing for seed the small ones. OF course this has
been one of the best seasons for years In this
| section for potato culture and as q consequence
they are low In price; still, while good potatoes
command ready sale. poor ones cannot find a
| although they do not plant so many, should be
more careful in selection. and with better cult
ure would raise an article which will sell, even
| should it be at low figure.
In talking over potato culture with the diff
ferent exhibitors at this fair. find that those
who had the finest specimens raised them In
hills, having two or three medium-size sets in
| hill Some of them preferred growing them
on clover SOC, while others had best
| success on land which had been heavily
| MANFRED and a crop Of wheat taken of
before planting to potatoes. They unanimously
| agreed that it is detrimental to use fresh ma
nure from the barn, attributinR this as one OF
| the main causes of scab. Mr.. E. Werntz. New
Portage, one of the largest exhibitors, stated
| q good example to substsntiats his views on
| this subject In his potato field he MANFRED a
| strip through the middle with green manure; as
a result, all the potatoes growing In this partic-
| ular strip of land were more or less affected
| with scab, and q good many different kinds
| happened TO be planted in 1t, one kind was jus,
| as much diseased another. This in itself
| pretty conclusvely determines that one cause
at least, is manure not sufficiently decomposed