Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-06-21
Seabbv Potatoes.

That seed potatoes from diseased
crop may carry the germs Of certain
diseases even tho they appear sound
and healthy is. the opinion of Prof L.
r. Jones. Of the Wisconsin College Of
Agriculture.
With certain diseases like the late
blight and the wilt. the parasites work
within the tubers and In bad cases.
cause them to shrivel up In milder
cases there. is merely a browning Of the
flesh. If any marked discoloration is
seen when cutting seed potatoes. these
diseased tubers should he rejected
In the case of the common scab and
the black leg disease, the germs are
entirely on the surface. The former is
too familiar to need descriptions: the
latter blackens and rots the stem be-
low the ground 1t may cause the tops
TO die, and In some cases leads to soft
rot.
The scab and black leg germs can
be destroyed by selecting smooth
tubers and treating them with for
malin. The simplest method is to soak
the seed for two hours in a solution
OF one part of fornaalin mixed with
thirty gallons Of water. This can be
used several times without losing its
strength. In this way. one pint Of for
malin Will disinfeet about twenty bush
els of potatoes, making the actual out
lay only about I cent per bushel.
To keep the potato crop free from
! these diseases. Mr.. Jones recommends
the selection ot smooth seed. the dis
Infection with formalin, and the plant
ing on clean soil, preferably clover
or grass sod
Profits in Iowa Onions.
AS Iowa land threatens to pass the
5000 mark, there are many evidences
to show that intensified farming IL
likely before long to supplant. in DIFF
ferent localities thruout the state, the
present historic Hawkeye custom OF
buying land to raise corn to feed hogs
to make money to buy more land &c
raise more corn to feed more hogs
Indeed, In not few localities the
change has come about already. Pleas
ant Valley township, Scott county, is
rich black soil admirably suited to onion
onion has beaten out King Corn. Re-
suit: land which formerly yielded SAt
worth Of pork year nowadays PRO-
duces 1920 worth of onions.
Much Of Pleasant Valley township
made UP Of level bottom LANDS. On THU
rich black soil admirably suited te
culture large number OF farmers fol
several years have been raising onions
with an average yield for the period OF
NEARLY 500 bushels. They have mar
keted them at an average price of Il
cents a bushel. Yields of 500 bushels
fhave been known In some Of the bes'
years.
| The story of the origin and growth
of the orion industry in the township
is told as follows by one familiar VIII
lit:
1.-THE pioneer in the embarrassing IN
dustry at Pleasant Valley was Il
schuetter, now retired from active
farming life From 1875 to 1894 he De
voted from fourteen to nineteen. acre.
to onions every year and kept an aeon
rate, account Of the results obtained
when he retired. his son, F. F. Schuet
tier, succeeded him. and he has ais
kept close record Of cost and pro
ductien.
Il 1.-The nineseen-year record Of "a
father shows that the average vel
under his management was 33A bush
els per acre, and the average pstee r.
. ceived, 43 cents. The Agureseof IN
son, kept from 1895 up TO the presen
s.s.., ...c=. : :. .::::==: .As:e = = ysAs
the average yield has been 80 hsae1ea'
and the average price, = centA