Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1913-08-23
POTATO SITUA-
TION in DETAIL
Disease Conditions Which Exist En-
tirely Preventable by Careful
Study Of Situation.

SsseO oio"CAS VI tu0 AQdnO FallS, lual
district In the Club Of CONNER
rooms. Idaho Falls by Henry
SHAW, pathologist in charge of feder
experiment station, Jerome, Idaho.
A tour over the principal potat
growing districts Of Idaho and a
inspection of potato cellars and pit
during the early spring of the presel
season revealed the presence OF a.
amount Of diseased potatoes oft-time
alarming. The most serious and pre-
alent disease was the powdery dr.,
rot. About equally prevalent, but les
destructive, was Rhizoctonia scab
The common potato scab was nowher
found to be abundant.
At the close OF this tour suggestions
We're offered for the selection and
treatment of seed potatoes prior to
planting; hints were also given fol
the choice and preparation of ground
IN which to plant selected tubers.
me potato growers were cautioned
to select only seed potatoes entirely
Tree from symptoms of disease, most
carefully culling out any showing
rotted areas, not even using the ap-
parently sound portion Of such tu-
bers.
This advice was given because the
planting of potatoes thus diseased
would inevitably infect the groun.
In which they were planted and, al
though cuttings affected with dry rot
might In many cases germinate and
Dear sound potatoes, a pocket Of in
fected soil would be created, and the
germs or spores of the disease pro-
ducing fungus would probably come
II contact with, and remain upon. thel
surface OF any potatoes obtained
from diseased cuttings Should con-
dltlons be favorable these spores |
would germinate in bruised places on
the potatoes In storage.
The powdery dry rot is caused by a
fungus which attacks potatoes in stor-
age. Although the spores OF this fun
gus may be present upon the tubers
When harvested, they have not at that
Time produced any rot. This fungus
attacks the potatoes during storage.
chiefly through wounds in the skin,
whence under favorable moisture
and temperature conditions it may
develop rapidly until the infected DO
tato becomes wholly or in part rotten
and conveys the disease to other po-
tatoes. Unfortunately for us, this fun
gus, which, like other plants, requirsel
certain amount of heat & moisture
Tor Its development, is capable of
growing at the comparatively low tenn
OF 81 degrees F. and is gen-l
orally able to obtain moisture enough
from the mass of stored potatoes, es- y
pecially it the cellar be not well ven
Hated. &
Once infected with this and some u
'ther fungus diseases, the soil re-
lures several years to become rid of D
ne disease germs; and then only o
When no crops susceptible to these II
articular germs are grown there. u
therefore rotation OF four or five II
ears should always be practiced. n
here Is land enough available to do a.
his even where potatoes are most eA.
grown. It is safe to pre- ia
let that Ii this careful seed selec- W.
on be not practiced a fate similar sc
that now SO greatly reducing the w
lelds of one OF Colorado Is great po- in
Ito districts will overtake the pota- be
, districts of Idaho at
AS for the common and Rhizoctonia
labs: 1t was recommended that
led potatoes be treated with solu-
on OF formaldehyde. l pint (40 per
snD to 80 gallons of water, for 2 WI
os oImIo1 ql!A peasSImnJ 10 'sInoq ~ ~
generated by pouring 40 per cent MI
rmaldehyde upon permanganate of wa
In the following proper. ia'
pms: tn
Formaldehyde Gao per cent? pints. an
Permanganate Of potassium % or. GU
This amount to be used for every hs
90 cubic feet space in the cellar, we
1ich should be closed for at least
hours, at temperature of not less pie
an SO degrees r. en1
The writer Is pleased to state that
number Of growers accepted and WI
lowed the advice offered at that mol
ne. He personally fumigated a dri
'ge cellar at the owners's request, =.
'ile another extensive potato growea Plu
nstructed fumigating chamber =.
thin his cellar, in which 300 to 500 ma
| Sue