The Greeley tribune., 1910-01-06
POTATO EXPERT ON
DEATH OF POTATOES

The Early Ohio potato Is easily
the most widely grown variety In the
United States, being of excellent ta-
BILE quality and adapted to various
soils both north and south.
At the present writing. SO far az
the plains region Ia concerned, the
extinction of this variety seems to be
matter OF only season or two
internal brown rot" or 1.-The stem
end disease Is reported from Idaho.
Mnotana, Wyoming and South Da-
kota to Nebraska and eastern Colo
RADIO, as affecting this variety only
DR.. E. NJ. Wilcox. of the Nebraska
station, and his four assistants have
spent most of their time for six
months or more on this disease, ap-
preaching the problem from every
conceivable way, but have not deter
mined the cause. much less found Il
cure.
A Nebraska potato region that has
shipped as many as 400 cars OF
ent market nearly destroyed by this
disease and other causes. During the
writer's recent institute trip in Ne
braska, he saw 5000 bushels of
Ohios that one merchant had taken
on store bills, and for which he had
not found an outlet as yet.
The stem end disease shows, first
as slight discoloratoin seen on cut
ting off the stem end Of the tuber.
Later brown decomposition extends
through the inner structure until all
parts within the cortical are spotted
with rusty brown. At one place
where we held potato show, half
the fancy Ohio's shown were affected,
and the best lot, after cooking, gave
off, when run through the ricer.
dark liquid. and fetid odor, al
though not visibly affected with the
trouble. At another place. fancy
lot of Ohio's was thrown out of COM
petition as commercially worthless.
because the first ten potatoes cut open
were all far gone with brown rot
: Nothing kills trade in potatoes for a
variety or a region more quickly than
to find that the outside appearance
! gives the lie to the inside quality
For this and other reasons, $50 cars
of Early Ohio potatoes stood unsold
on track in Omaha and Kansas City
at one time the past fall.
There appear to be two ways of es-
cape for growers of Ohio potatoes:
: First. good farming, rotation. cult
,atiOn, storage-that at Greeley have
successfully resisted the gradually
, increasing vigor of this disease else
where but he who knows the west
E ern farmer is aware that 1t will be
many years before farm practice gen.
: orally can approach that Of our, best
regions Of Colorado. The second way
: out is by disease resistant varieties
Thanks to Professor Benefits work,
was able to recommend for conser-
vative trial the new and better early
4 variety, the Irish Cobbler, whose In
e PRODUCTION from Maine promises to
e be worth, to our own state. all our
o potato appropriations to date. For
n their own use many people on the
r plains raise Blue Victor. variety so
far absolutely immune to the dis
# ease, and also absolutely unstable
l. because OF its color. / was able to
it show the Nebraska growers that these
t. Purple potatoes had white bud varia-
1. tions that would enable them to
d change the variety to white, sala,
,r BILE one, without expense and with
" sure local ndartabilitv.
lr The conditions, most critical in Ne
ed braska and eastern Colorado, illus
ID trate two points; the usefulness o
W. disease resistant plants, and the eli
ty cheney of good rotation, fertility an'
III tilth, like enlightened home manage
w ment for a human family, to ward OF
V. and to pass by diseases that come Il
+. other homes and fields
70 c. l.. FITCH.
e. Potato Specialist, Colorado Agricui
% tural College. Fort Collins.