The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-07-25
POTATO EXPERT COMES AGAIN.
e. HI. Grubb Talks on Local COndi-
lions Between Trains.

on the potato situation, and before
the papers had reached the readers
Mr.. Grub came this way again, and
gave further observations of things
in this locality, and because we con-
slider them valuable to farmers and
merchants alike we pass them on to
our readers. Mr.. Grub said in part.
"You have here the finest country
on tn face of the earth for raising po-
tatoes. Not too hot nor too cold;
suitable soil and that wealth of sun
shine so necessary for the growth of
good potatoes; and yet as think of
dangers to which you are subjecting
yourselves by the methods pursued,
tremble for the future. l mean
that unless people wake up to the
dire consequences of using poor seed,
planting diseased seed, shipping pro-
miscuously all kinds and colors of
potatoes in the same car, neglecting
to properly fertilize the ground and
rotate their crops, the wealth pro-
ducing elements of this great valley
may soon be so hampered in their OPP
Grafton that it will take long years of
heroic treatment to recover from it.
$50 many diseases are attacking
the potato, they spread in so many
different ways, modern methods of
commerce make it possible to let a
certain disease get almost everywhere
at once, and people as rule are so
Indifferent about taking warning,
that / am much concerned for fear
you people will have to go through
some bitter experiences before you
become sufficiently active.
Until recently have always been
able to point with great pride to what
was being done in the Greeley dist
riot, but even that wide-awake and
progressive country has received a
staggering blow to it's great indust-
ry.
TO make the situation better un-
derstood l will 90 back a title and
state that Greeley, Colorado, owed it's
existence primarily to the writings of
Horace Greeley and his, Go west
young man, and grow up with the
country advice Somebody con-
ceived the idea of organizing q great
colony of well-to-do people who had
means and education and the desire
to make fine country homes, and the
promoters of the idea advertised in
such way as to attract people who
could and would accomplish some
thing noteworthy. One feature was
that they had to have some capital
or they could not get in. They would
have to be courageous ard enterpris-
ing or they would not be willing to
undertake what was before them. 1t
began in 1870, and for forty years
the colony prospcred and won fame
and fortune. But in recent years,
many of the farmers have become
careless about rotating crops and fer
tilizing lands; they have been making
money so easily on potatoes they neg
lected to exercise vigilance in keep
ing good seed and keeping out diseas-
es, with the result that the earning
capacity of their lands has fallen off
rapidly and they are in much trou-
ble
GAS look over this locality l do
not see that the people are of one
type or of one mind or in any way
disposed to cooperate to any extent,
either in securing uniform seed, rails
ing uniform variety of given pro-
duct, cooperating to develop the
same breeds of stock or to keep the
weed pests out or the disease down.
Each one seems to be doing things in
bis own way, and | am afraid for the
future.
"Of course my speciality is potatoes
and to make my nearing plain, allow
me to talk potatoes. The farmer
must remember that seed potatoes
must be secured from new source
often. They run out, and must be
renewed every few years. We are
learning how potato diseases spread,
end these must be combatted. Stor-
ing them in a cellar where diseased
potatoes were kept the year before,
cutting halthy seed potatoes with the
same blade that has passed through
a diseased potato; running them
through planter with diseased
potato here and there, are some of
the ways by which whole fields are
contaminated at once.
Letting the ground get wet and
soggy, lack of cultivation to loosen it
up and get the sunshine and air into
it, planting good seed on ground
where diseased crop grew the year
hafore ara Soma of the mistakes men