The Dickinson press., 1912-09-07

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vines. whereby it was demonstrated to
be a very paying proposition.
Regardless of disease. it was found
that from rather a poor variety of Early
Ohio potatoes. one could. by selecting
from the vines. produce any form and
shape of tuber desired and in so doing
could very greatly increase the yield of
merchantaDle potatoes. These bulle-
tins. as [ now see it. were ahead of the
demands of the farmers of this region.
In spite of everything we have done
along the line of this sort OF education,
very few farmers ever have paid any
attention to seed selection, seed treat.
ment, crop rotation or to the proper
spraying treatments for the prevention
of potato diseases. Indeed. to any of
these important features of potato crop
ping which are necessary in order that a
farmer may continue in the business of
potato growing for a-number of years
on a profitable basis.
1t is not that potatoes tend to reduce
the fertility of the land for other crops,
but eventually potato lands become full
of diseases characteristic of the potato
crop, scab, bacterial rot. dry rot, brown
rot. late blight, early blight. etc., and
the seed. because of carelessness in
this regard. poor treatment and selec-
ton, carries with it each year more
and more disease to our new land areas.
The old vines with all their disease are
worked into the land and finally the
most valuable potato lands-.in the world
are being farmed so that within a few
years they will be yielding less than n
hundred bushels of merchantable pota-
toes to the acre when they should yield
with any decent cultivation anywhere
from two hundred to three hundred to
the acre.
have many times reiterated the
statement that on the average more
than one third of the entire potato crop
of North Dakota is destroyed by potato
diseases easy of prevention. According
to correspondence and letters which are
coming to me now l am convinced that
there are ONE people who are waking
up to this fact. When Mother Nature
REBELS, she spanks hard.
Let me now say by way of encourage
ment, that there is no known potato dis
ease which cannot be prevented by
proper seed selection, seed treatment.
crop rotation. but that each year this
seed selection and seed treatment en-
hances the quality. Potato diseases are
infectious troubles carried by drainage
waters. are wind borne. etc.. and when
once in the soil remain there rather
persistently. especially in wet. fertile
lands. The most serious one CT the rots
or blights is present everywhere this
year in a very destructive form. 1t
starts out with vines becoming yellow
ish and stunted and the roots rotting
off. This is a disease which cannot be
escaped by simply spraying the vines
in the summe time. The farmers who
do not wish to have any of this on their
land next year dig their seed and select
their tubers which they wish to use for
seeding purposes by taking them from
the healthy vines. If there were no
diseases you could increase your crop
one third by following this line. Is it
worth while? Is it worth while for the
farmers of the Red River Valley and
North Dakota to think somewhat of the
future? l will answer the question.
Positively yes.
The time will come when the southern
buyer will not buy you potatoes be-
cause of the rotting in the bin. The
time will come when it will be too late
to practice crop rotation because of the
wind blowing of the diseased soil, but
let me say further twill pay to do the
following things even though you deal
wholly with new lands:
1. Select the tubers which you wish
to plant from healthy vines showing the
form of tuber you wish to raise.
2. Store these potatoes in a cold,
dry condition in which they will not
sprout until planting time.
3. Wash these potatoes and then
treat them before planting, using either
the formaldehyde or the corrosive subli-
mate treatment.
4. At the time of cutting. examine
the cut potatoes carefully and where
ever a cut piece shows any bro wn OF
discolored markings throw it out.
S. AS far as potatoes are concerned.
keep a permanent rotation whereby the
same land is not used for potatoes more
often than -four or five years.
s. Rake up and burn the old potato
vines or else compost them thoroughly
in a proper compost heap.
Z. Use the Bordeaux mixture by the
field spraying method so that all of the
leaves are thoroughly sprayed three Of
four times each season. Paris Green