Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1913-12-12
!. In the South Atlantic s

the black-leg disease has become fire.
quent thru the use Of infected north
efn seed. have seen fields with so
TO Is per cent Of the plants dead or
decaying just before harvest, when d
neighbor using healthy seed has none.
| This black-leg appears to come only
/ from seed infection i'll this country.
| It takes more yirulent form in the
/ South than in the North, and can be
eliminated by the northern grower
by seed selection and disinfection.
| 4. The powdery scab, new disease
to America, tho long prevalent in
Europe, has been found in few
places in the United States and may
develop elsewhere. 1t will be highly
! important TO prevent its spread, and
consequently whenever q few cases
are found on one farm in Blank Coun-
! ty. purchasers of seed potatoes from
other farms in that county will re-
! uuire assurance Of freedom from pow
/ dery-scab. The same would be true
/ Of the wart disease or any other new
trouble that might crop out and we
lack at present any definite means Of
! giving this guarantee.
5. The Eusarium Wilt is neof the
big factors III reducing yields in our
warmer districts, particularly in the
/ West. This is carried in the tubers
from diseased hills, and has already
been widely scattered in this way.
Such infected tubers are not lit for
seed and many districts are looking
| for source of healthy seed stock.
! +. The potato eel-worm, a danger
Gus pest i'll the irrigated valleys Of
! Nevada and California, in Australia
and other warm countries is spread
wholesale by planting affected tubers
I. Silver-scurf, European para
site which dishgures the skin of pota-
toes, was brought over and scattered
throughout the United States before
lit WAS detected. 1t Is carried over
, by planting infected tubers and as ii
does not seem to be killed by disin-
lection; a certificate that a given lot
). Of potatoes was free from Silver-scuTf
i would add materially to their value.
s. Powdery-dry rot is disease Of
stored potatoes that has caused great
. losses from Wisconsin westward. 1t
. is carried over in the soil where dis
cased potatoes are planted and the
evidence shows that whole new sec
tions of Idaho have been thus inject
ed aud fily, but will now
have TO practice preventive measures
perhaps as long as potatoes are grown
8. The COMMON late-blight dry-rot,
carried south on seed potatoes, re-
suits in defective stands where tie
injected tubers fail to grow. anu not
iniIeque ntly an outbreak OF the
blight its self is charged TO this Use
of infected seed.
1 10. Curly-dwarf, a physiological
/ trouble, and allied weaknesses, often
classed as running OUT, occur on
some farms, much more than others
Farmers have lost thousands of dol
lars through buying unaware, such
weak strains.
/ Il. Finally, leaf-roll, the new dis
ease Which has already cost Colorado
growers millions Of dollars. is trans
mitted through seed from diseased
plants, and the best advice we can
give is to get healthy seed, To in
sure this there has been successfully
practiccd in Germany 4 seed certifi-
cation plan similar to the one we are
7 recommending.
have now given you few exam
pies to show why potato growers in
other sections need certified seed. If
there were any such seed in existence
! a demand for it could be readily
i aroused.
i Will not Wisconsin take the lead
ership and inaugarate the plan?
build up tllt. strain: and maintain
a high standard? We can assure you
that the L s. Department OF Agri-
culture will heartily support the Uni
versity at Madison and your Associa
| tion in this important work, particu-
larry in those phases which involve
trials in other states.
Lake Superior Farmer.