The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1906-09-20

epidemic, but when similarly exposed
they are, as q class, less resistant
than late varieties.
The source of seed tubers is mat
ter of importance, northern-grown
seed giving plants of superior dis
ease resistance in Europe. Seed from
crop that was not too highly fer.
tilted is probably preferable. Posi-.
bly, tubers are better for seed pur-
poses If dug before they reach full
maturity. High fertilization, especial
" with heterogeneous manures. lowers
the power of the plant to resist both
blight and rot.
Varieties relatively rich in starch
are more resistant to rot: those rich
er in protein are more susceptible to
1t. So far as skin characters are an
index, the red varieties with thick
and rough skin seem more resistant
as a class than the thin-skinned white
varieties. So far as stem and foliage
characters are concerned, the evil
rough and rather woody at the base,
and the leaf that is small, somewhat
rough and dark colored.
The varieties rated highest as to
disease resistance in England are
Evergood, Discovery, Royal Kidney,
Northern Star, Sir John Llewelyn,
King Edward VII, Eldorado and Fac.
tor. In Germany and Holland the fol-
lowing represent the best types:
Mohort, Irene, Geheimrat, Thiel, Pro
fessor Wohltmann. Bonca, Eigen.
heimer and Paul Kruger. In Belgium
and France no Improvement as to dis,
ease resistance has been made over
the best English and German types.
In America trials as to disease re-
sstance have been conducted at some
of the experiment stations, notably in
Vermont, where experiments in breed
ing and selection for increased resist
ance are under way. These results
have been correlated with information
recently secured by a circular of in
potato specialists in the northeastern
states and Canada. From these it
appears that wide variation is shown
In disease resistance among the varie-
ties now in cultivation in America,
but that no one variety is prominent.
Among those which have been wide
ly tested the following deserve men,
kota Red, Rustproof. Irish Cobbler,
Sir Walter Raleigh, Doe Pride and
White Beauty. Certain European va
rieties of the disease-resistant type
seem to retain that character when
grown in this country-e g. Professor
Maercker and Sutton Discovery.
There is much of promise in certain
new varieties under tria! at the Yer.
mont station.
In tests made by w Stuart at the
Vermont station in 1905 the following
varieties showed marked resistance to
blight on both sandy loan and clay
loan soils: Keeper. American Won
der, Dakota Red. Doe Pride and Late
Blightless.
1t was found that on both the sand
and clay soil the Dutch. German and
English-Scotch varieties showed much
less rot than did the French and
American varieties. In gen
eral, varieties having strong, woody,
moderately branched upright haulm
and medium sized. rather thick, more
or less crumpled, firm, hairy leaves
were found more resistant to disease.
especially late blight, than those pos
sessing rather weak, partially woody,
much branched. decumbent haulms,
with rather large, thin, smoothish, soft
leaves. In brief, varieties having an
upright habit Of growth. moderately
branched, with firm, hairy. medium
sized leaves are much more likely to
prove resistant to late blight than are
those with large, Smooth. flabby leaves
and decumbent stems.
cres ZONES calls attention to the