Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1913-04-10
THE POTATO INDUSTRY.
CONTINUED from first page-)


els is invited to the extent of keeping |
US informed of their troubles and their
successes; the workers at this station
are here not only to instruct, but to
learn; any practical farmer may have
valuable suggestions and experiences
of Importance to the entire commun-
ity; such suggestions are invited.
This station will also encourage
the cooperation of farmers for the pur-
pose of improving their general meth
DDS of handling, storing and market
ing their potatoes, raising and sus-
tanning the standard of their products
and protecting themselves from the
continued introduction and sale of dis
eased tubers.
Timely articles for potato growers:
1t is believed that the interests of
the potato growers can be advanced,
at the present moment, by series
of timely articles in the newspapers
of Idaho, which shall attempt, in
simple direct manner, to describe the
most approved methods, both for the
prevention of disease and the improve
ment of the crop. Much of the time
of the writer will be devoted to obser
walton and experiment; he will there
fore be unable to get around among
the farmers as much as he would de-
sire during the present season.
Selection of potato ground:
This season has opened tardily. but
now teams are everywhere at work
preparing the ground for the spring
planting. The land designed for po-
tato culture this season should have
been selected and plowed last fall;
this land should not have been devot
ed to potatoes last season. In other
words, do not follow potatoes with
potatoes. Potatoes after turned-in al
falfa is one of the best practices.
The alfalfa, with it's nodule- bearing
roots, replenishes the nitrogen-starved
soil and greatly inceases tine yield of
potatoes, as we'll as adding humus to
the soil. Rotation is exceedingly i'm
portant from the disease standpoint,
because it is generally found that the
fungi causing disease on ore crop, in
most cases will not attack an entirely
different kind of crop, thus the fungus
is gradually starved out for want OF a
suitable host plant, and in the course
of a reasonable rotation series, say
four or five years, potatoes may again
safely be grown on that land. There
is unmistakable evidence to show that
diseased potatoes, and other diseased
crops, infect hitherto clean soil; thus,
should second crop Of potatoes be
sown in infected land they will prob
ably become badly diseased through
the infected soil. Therefore. a cardi-
nal rule should be: never plant pota-
toes twice in succession in the same
land.
PrepaI alton of the ground
One of the secrets of success in po-
tato culture is the possession of a
deep, mellow. loose, we'll aerated
soil, with ample drainage. This
means that the potato ground should
be plowed deeply, not less than ten
inches, instead of six or seven. Fall
blowing exposes the soil to the frosts
and storms of winter, disintegrates,
aerates and mellows it, while the ex-
posture of fresh surfaces to the sun
shine destroys many disease germs.
AS early in spring as the weather
permits, the field should be very thor
oughly disked-some of the most sue
cessful growers even re-plow the
ground, but not so deeply as in the
fall. After disking the field is har-
rowed. In the best practice it is
recommended to harrow at intervals
right up to the time of planting in
order to destroy the weeds that begin
to sprout. Such a practice would
greatly reduce the labor required later
to keep the field free from weeds.
Finally the field should be fioated to
produce an even surface and a fine
mulch to retain the soil moisture.
A clean seed campaign:
We now come to the question of seed
This is at present the most serious pro-
blem. The conditions presented in this
state should have been ideal for raising
disease-free crops, since all the land was,
but few years ago, virgin to cultivated
crops. In a state of nature, most OF the
Wild plants, including the forbears of
practically all our cultivated crops. have
through the incessant struggle OF the
ages. either adapted themselves to their
environment, secured some advantage, in
the way of climate, soil or location, over
their competitors and enemies, or have
come immune to most disease producing
organisms. When we remove these
plants in the course of cultivation from
these vantage points, SO tediously and
hardly won, we render them Susceptible
to host OF enemies; they are so pam
pered by the high culture applied to
them as to lose their power of self-defense