The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-08-26
new VARIETY OF
IRISH POTATOES
TRULY BUG PROOF
Burbank Does Not Claim It;
Hansen Knows It Not. but
It Is a Wonder.

Brookings, s.. D., Aug. 24.-That he
has q variety of POTATOES so consti-
tuted as TO u all the potato bugs
I'm the United States to starve to death
and q " the potato growers OF the
country some millions OF dollars paid
out for paris green n an untold
amount OF labor, Is the claim OF George
H. Bonney, of Forestburg, s. ID. Mr..
Bonney is a wholly reputable individ-
ual, having served in the state senate
and being generally respected.
In response to an inquiry, the South
Dakota State Agricultural callege, To-
Gated here, declares it has no knowl-
edge OF any such variey OF potatoes
and the department of agriculture at
Washington also declares It's ignorance
Of any such vegetable prodigy.
1t Is estimated by a wholesale drug
house at Sioux Falls, supplying, per-
lhaps, a third of the demand In this
state, that il sold so tons of paris green
this season, almost entirely for use on
the Colorado beetle, commonly known
as the potato bug. Many ingenious
persons have endeavored to find a
labor saving device for the destruction
Of these pests, but to date there is no
sure way OF killing them except by
personally administering liberal doses
of this poison, Fifty tons OF paris
green is worth about $4,000. That
means that in h United States the
potato bug costs, in paris green alone,
not less than $8, 1000, 900 a year. Not
only that. but the bug reduces the
yield OF the potato an unestimated
amount Anyway, 1t is certain this
insect requires q good many millions
OF dollars for its annual support.
Concerning his bug-proof. potatoes.
Mr. Bonney says:
81 have a variety OF potatoes called
fR10IoQCt md NO lnnO nc II hnUa Ennuyn
them, they have never had a bug on
them. I have them growing here now
and a prove this assertion any day.
This variety was first brought here
from near Fergus Falls, Mimi, some
sever or eight years ago and has
been grown here ever since. Under
no conditions has the Colorado beetle
ever ettacked this variety, even along
side OF other varieties destroyed. They
are good yielders, subject, OF course,
to climatic conditions. The quality is
unsurpassed in their season, Tx. IS,
from March is to September Is. They
are in form and looks similar to the
Great State OF Wisconsin potato, large,
round and slightly oval. The date
they are first class for the table use
speaks well for them. They are a fine
variety to ship for late eating, hard
and mealy, with small, shallow eyes.
Any one who a tell me why the bugs
do not a them / will present with a
peck OF the seed"
Sample leaves Of the potato were sent
to Professor N. K. Hansen, Of the agri-
cultural college, who has an inter-
national reputation as the man who
introduced various fruits and grains
and grasses from Russia and who has
been the representative Of the Uuited
States government on such missions,
with q request for an explanation and
a statement whether he knew anything
about any ''bugless'' potatoes. The
leaves were particularly healthy and
perfectly sound and declared to be
representative Of the whole patch.
Professor Hanscn's statement follows:
II have had nc experience with and
do not know of any such variety of
potatoes, Several years ago I had a
few varieties Of potato from Germany
and South Africa and noticed that one
variety was practically immune to POI
tato bugs, but as it was inferior in
other respects, the matter was not
followed up. 1t would certainly be
wise to have the variety tested care
fully at several experiment stations be-
fore heralding the fact abroad that
such a variety exists"