The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-04-11
PRINCETON THURSDAY 1895
SEED POTATOES.
= ~ p
How to Treat Your Seed POta-
toes to Prevent Scabby "
Crops.
Scab on Potatoes a Disease
F., Which Can Easily be Pre- -
vented.
SEED POTATOES.

vented.
POisOns for the Colorado Beetle
That are Cheap and Eff
fective.
Assthe season is near at hand,
whenspotato raisers begin to look
up the matter of seed potatoes, the
following ideas cleaned from the
experience at the University farm
may be used to advantage: In
Bulletin No. 80, now in print and
ready to be sent free to any resi-
dent in the State, the disease
potato scab," is discussed, and
the following treatment of that
kind ! Of seed IS recommended as
producing satisfactory results:
FAKE two ounces of corrosive SUBJ
Innate and dissolve in common
wooden bucket of water, pour into
a, barrel containing fourteen gal
Ions OF water, thoroughly stirring
the same. Put the potatoes in
sacks and soak in the solution
from one and one-half to two
hours, take them out, dry them
and cut into pieces for planting:
Potatoes that are excessively
scabhy, should, if possible be
avoided for planting. The ex-
pense Of the above treatment is a
mere trife, about one dollar an
acre for material and the labor of
treatment. The writer in the
same article says that scab is
caused by=a fungus. plant working
in the surface of the potato, small
germs that live for many years in
| the soil, and also, over winter on
I the potatoes. The king IN IN the
mixture herein recommended, kills
the germ and leaves the seed free
to grow and produce good clean
crop. It is further added that
perfectly clean seed planted on
clean land, will surely produce a
smooth crop, no matter what char
acter of the land, but seed pota-
toes that appear clean, may have
the scab germ on its surface from
contact with other potatoes in the
cellar or bin, and in this case, a
good washing in running water is
sufficient to purify them, but the
safer treatment is the corrosive
sublimate course. Land infected
with these germs will produce a
more or less scabby crop, no mat
ter how clean the seed may be.
Some potato raisers claim that
scabby seed will not produce
scabby potatoes. Such a result
may be obtained in part, at least,
provided the land is pure, but the
following year will demonstrate a
marked difference, after the land
has become impregnated with the
germs. Others assert that clean
! potatoes will not bring crop free
from scab at all times, which of
course is true, if the soil in which
they are planted is alive with the
| scab germs. With so many ifs, in
the way, the average farmer
might feel at loss what to do,
but he has the above recipe to fall
back upon. Soak your seed as
directed, and get good clean po-
tatoes. For the potato beetle, the
following is highly recommended
as a cheap and a very efficient
poison: With London purple use
quick lime in same proportions, a
pound of each for Is gallons of
water. Still better and cheaper is
the following preparation: Put
eleven ounces Of acetate of lead
and four ounces of arsenate of
soda into one hundred and fifty
gallons of water, add two quarts
of molasses to make it stick to the
leaves, and you have a dose for
Mr.. Bug that gives it to him right
where the bottle got the cork.
This poison gave excellent results
last year. It is cheap and well
! worth trying.