The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-18
SEED POTATOES
|. ARE MADE AT HOME
Mountainous Sections of Virginia
Can Grow as Good "Cobblers"
as the North.
EXPERIMENT STATIONS WORK
Most Interesting Facts That
Have Been Brought Out by
Actual Demonstration.

For the past two years the Virginia
Experiment Station at Blacksburg has
been conducting a cooperative expert
ment with the Truck Experiment Sta
tion at Norfolk. to determine whether
is is practical to grow potatoes in the
mountainous sections of the State. TO
be used as seed in the Tidswater truck
ing section. The leading varieties OF
potatoes grown at Blacksburg were
sent TO Norfolk and planted there be-
varieties. The results seem to indi-
cate that growing seed potatoes In
the higher attitudes OF Virginia for
use as seed in the trucking sections Is
practicable and should be profitable,
Professor .Johnson's Views.
T. C. Johnson, of the Truck Ex-
pertinent Station. reports: In looking
over the notes on the potatoes sent
from BlacksburG as compared with po-
tatoes obtained from the North, we
ind that the yield where the potatoes
were native WAS up to that of the
Maine grown seed. Comparing the
Cobblers you sent with the Cobblers
grown in the North practically no diff
| ference was perceptible; the Virginia
upland seed seems to be doing as we'll
! as the Northern grown seed. ! would
suggest that you pay special attention
to the varieties used In Underwater Vir-
ginia. Possibly % per cent. of the po-
tatoes planted for carly market are
Irish Cobblers. hence other varieties
would not be in demand. Our people
in Eastern Virginia used about $4,000
barrels of potatoes for seed purposes
| during the season 1910. a large ma
jority OF those were obtained from the
North The prevailing prices were in
the vicinity OF 50 per barrel. de-
livered at railroad points In Virginia
In order for people In Western Vir-
ginia to get their potatoes used here, II
would be Important for them to make
1t to the financial advantage OF our
people. If the seed potato work could
be localized in the upland portion OF
the State. it Will amount to quite a
large sum for that section
Done at BlucksburE.
AS to yields which may be expected
from Irish Cobbler potatoes, the Ex-
pertinent station at Blacksburg states
Land which Will bring forty to fifty
4 bushels of corn should produce from
zoo to 500 bushels OF potatoes, when 6
fair quantity of commercial fertilizer
4 is used Our average yield of this
4 variety for the past two years has
been 263 bushels OF remarkable tubers
4 This Is on land that usually produce:
about twenty-five bushels of wheat OF
about fifty bushels of corn per acre
The only fertilizer used was 100 pound:
of sulphate of potash and 800 pound:
of acid phosphate per acre. The pota
toes followed clover, the second crol
of clover being plowed under"
| How to Do 1t.
In growing a good seed potatoe 1t l.
VERY necessary to spray with Bordeau'
mixture several times during the sea
son In order to prevent blight an'
other fungous diseases. Each spraying
costs from 81 to 50 per acre. Durtnt
the seasons of 1909 and 1910 three
sprayings per season at Blackshurt
gave an average increase OF tifty-fou
bushels per acre over unsprayed po
tatoes, besides producing smoother all,
better potatoes, The altitude a
Blacksburg is $3.50 feet The hlghe
the altitude at which the seed pota
toes are grown tho earlier crop the,
should produce for the truckers, AM
earliness Is the chief requisite Prob
ably 1t would not pay to grow seed po
tatoes for the truckers at an altitud
less than 1900 feet
Farmers In Valley and Southwes
Virginia, and other high altitude sec
tions OF Virginia, who are intereste
in growing seed potatoes for the truck
] Ing section are invited to write 10
further Information to the Ylrgini
AGRICULTURAL Experiment Station
Blacksburg