The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-07-18
POTATO EXPERT
AT BLACKFOOT
Eugene H. Crubb, Uncle Sans Interna-
tional Observer Digs and Talks
In the Local Fields
Points Out Disease and Cause
Farmers Urged to Exercise Greatest
Care in Selection of Seed, Water
ing and Crop Rotation to Prevent
Spreading of Disease.

Once more has the upper Snake
river valley been favored by the visit
of one of the captains of great in
+, dustry. His work among our far
mers and shipperss has a greater sig
nificance when we remember that he
, is sought out and sent by leaders of
other great industries-ield mar
shalls who are seeking the biggest
men In every line, to specialize in
and develop by quick strides, the po-
f, tentialities of certain industries des-
tined to add rich endowments to hu-
man kind.
E. H. Grubb, sage of Mt Sopris
farm at Carbondale, Colorado, a man
who has attained such success in po-
tato growing that he has been called
by the department of agriculture to
represent our government in extend
ed tours of observation and study in
the best potato districts of the old
world, has written in connection
with w. s. Guilford, the best stand
ard work on "The Potato" that has
ever been produced. So valuable is the
book considered, that the government
arranged for it's publication so it
might be placed in the hands of the
greatest number of farmers. 1t
could not be printed for free distri-
button, but is on sale at $500 copy
by Doubleday Page G Co., at Garden
City, N. Y, and the information it
contains is helping many farmer to
-addsten dollars an acre to the value
of his potato crop this year without
working any harder on it than he had
been doing in the old way
There are certain men whom the
editor Of this paper loves to mention
because Of their work and worth In
behalf of better farming and better
farm homes. Jim Hill, the big
farmer OF the Great Northern railway
does not come In close touch with
this section, but his counterpart, D.
E. Burley, general passenger agent
of the Oregon Short Line, puts so
many helps into our town and out on
the branch lines right in the midst Of
the settlers, that when his name is
mentioned, when he sends somebody
like E. H. Grubb to work among our
farmers and help us in the busy days
when crops are forming, it seems like
a big brother giving people helping
hand.
Mr.. Grubb spent all of last week
in this valley inspecting potato farms,
showing farmers individually how to
raise potatoes and talking to farmers
in meetings. He visited the Republi-
can Office, because, as he said, the
editor always passes his message on
to the readers of the paper and there
by adds to the scope of his work and
the value of his labors.
We told him we wanted to know
two things. why was the potato
market 80 poor the past year and
how shall we treat our potato plants
so they will BEAR MORE AND BET
TER potatoes" in answer he spoke
about as follows:
The government reports of the ex-
pected yield Of potatoes for 1912
were too high; the total production
over. the United States proved to be
less than early reports indicated. The
impression of overproduction led far
mers to arrange for disposing of
their surplus from the field direct,
and this glutted the market to an un-
usual exent
"The quality Of the potato was not
up to the standard, the importation
of thirty million bushels of very good
potatoes from Europe, the open win
ter that enabled farmers in Mime
sofa, Michigan and Wisconsin to ship
their potatoes throughout the winter,
the panicky condition existing among
the farmers keeping them sufficiently
scared to sell at almost any price,
and the presence of men whom call
'scalpers,' purchasing in car lots in
the principal potato-growing dis
tricts without regard to the condi-
tion of the markets, we're strong fac
tors in making and keeping prices
low. The 'scalper' is the man who goes
out and buys potatoes simply for the
commission of SO much per car which