The Delta independent., 1913-04-25
Three Sizes of Spud Seed
IN. w. Plettiner)

am not largely experienced in po-
tato raising but have given the most
extensive study to the subject that my
experience would permit. ! raised
crop of potatoes last season and for
the sake of satisfying myself on GER
tain features of potato culture expert
mented in the following way: Seed
potatoes of a certain variety were
purchased. These were homegrown
here in Montrose county and came
from one OF the heaviest yielding
fields of our community. This seed
was graded with regard to size. The
purpose was personal experience to
determ; me what size of potato would
prove the most profitable in repro
duction.
The small potatoes ranging from the
size OF hens egg to twice as large
were planted in one part of the field,
the medium sized potato, the one gen.
orally used, and planted next to it'll
and to prove a pet idea of a friend
of quantity of extraordinary large ones
from the same field of the same va
riety was planted next to that. The
spuds were planted the same day in
identical soil and exactly the same
soil conditions. My observation was
assiduous and constant throughout all
the phases of development The cul-
ture was exactly the same. always be-
ing performed on the same day or no
later than the succeeding one.
My first observation proved the
small potato to be the surest to sprout
early part of the season. The med
ium sized seed was next in order of
vitality and fertility while the largest
seed was most subject to decay and
the most frail in the early part of the
season. The stand was about perfect
where the small seed was planted.
two-thirds of a stand with the medium
] seed and two-fifths where the large
seed was planted. The difference in
the stand was due to two obvious
reasons First. freezing after the po-
tatoes were up and destroyed most of
the plants coming from the larger seed
and decay was most in evidence there.
And so through the three divisions
decay went in the descending scale
I to the small potato
This was my first observation. Af-
ter the crop was up the next feature
obvious was the vitality of the plant.
/ The ones of the small potato seed
were generally more rugged and then
descending to the plant of the largest
seed. This ruggedness obtained un-
til the blooming period when the diff
erence ceased TO be apparent or per
lhaps entirely eliminated. At this per
iod the most important difference be-
came obvious. Disease ordinarily or
vulgarly called blight began TO de-
velop. We noticed that disease was
present in about the proportion of one
to eight actual count. The greater
percentage was in the small seed.
This gave rise to further investiga-
tion and to the following discovery:
Blight is propogated in the seed. The
disease scarcely affects the potato fat
ally until after potatoes have set on
and generally on the affected stalk
I these potatoes attain the size of a
hens egg and from that to double that
size.
We began observing early and
found that while in many instances
decay destroys some of the potatoes
affected by the disease. many of them
ables them to assume the appearance
of normal matured undersized pota-
toes Hence we reasoned that be
cause the diseased plants are not
! eradicated during the growing season
as to exterminate the diseased plants,
at digging time these potatoes find
seed and the dreaded blight is prop
ogated. | would not for several rea-
sons advise ignoring the small seed
but insist that the blight we all de
plore so much is transmitted more
readily by smaller seed that is infect
ed. believe that upon reflection, tax
ing into consideration that many To-
calities favor the small potato for
seed. il is obvious that the disease
becomes prevalent by planting the
small potatoes grown In Fields where
disease exists.
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