The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1913-08-14


in the Idaho Falls district is about
1925 sacks per acre. Many of the care
full growers obtain yields of 200 to
ESQ sacks an acre, under conditions
causing them a loss of stand rang.
ing from 10 to rs per cent and the
presence of diseased plants amounting
to about as great a percentage Is
there any other business beside farm.
ing that would tolerate such percent
age of loss, mostly avoidable with a
modicum of care?
Preparations for Harvest
It is none too early to make pre-
parations for the coming harvest and
the marketing and storage of potatoes
Cellars Contain Disease Germs
The spring inspection showed the
presence of potatoes infected with
powdery dry rot and Rhizoctonia scab
in practically every cellar. This means
that now the spores of these disease
producing fungi lie in wait to attack
the new crop. In plain language, in
their present condition, the cellars are
Veritable pest houses for potatoes
What then is to be done?
Sanitary Measures Necessary
1t is true of plant, as well as of
animal diseases, that sanitary meas
ures are among the best safeguards
A thorough cellar-cleaning and disin-
lection is therefore in order now. In
the dust and trash lying on floors ald
in every nook and Granny of potato
cellars in this state lodge inaumerable
potato disease germs, which, unless
removed or destroyed, may, and prob
ably will attack the new crop placed
hn bo,
Clean Out and Disinfect All Potato
Cellars Before Harvest
All the trash should be removed
from the floors quite thoroughly, in
Guiding old potatoes, and sacks which
have previously been used to hold
potatoes or have been in contact with
them. The cellar should then be thor
oughly disinfected One of the best
methods OF doing this would be the
application of lime wash contain
ing a fungicide to walls and ceiling,
either by brush or spray machine. For
this purpose fresh lime should be
slaked with water to cream like con
sistency; to this should be added l
quart OF formaldehyde to every 10
gallons of the wash. Every portion
OF the cellar should be treated The
floors might better be treated first,
and instead of the lime wash, they
might be sprayed heavily with solu-
ton OF copper sulphate (blue-stone,
bluue vitrioD, l pound to 10 gallons
OF water, or formaldehyde, pints to
10 gallons of water. Then the lime
wash or copper. sulphate solution
should be sprayed all over the walls
and ceilings of the cellar.
All sacks that have been previously
used or stored in the cellars should
be soaked several hours in the above
mentioned formaldehyde solution, then
dried in the open air.
Careless Handling Of Potatoes Is Too
Prevalent
1t has been stated that the dry-rot
fungus mostly attacks potatoes at
bruised or wounded spots; it has also
been shown that an enormous NUM-
Der of potatoes are injured by careless
methods of handling. For some years
orchardists have found it necessary to
handle apples, pears, oranges and
other fruits SO carefully as to avoid
bruising them They have discovered
that it amply repays them to use such
care. 1t is the belief of the writer,
based on close observation, that far
more careful handling than is now
practiced will be necessary by the
successful potato grower and that he
Will find such care remunerative. 1t
Is entirely unnecessary to maltreat
the magnificent potatoes grown in
Idaho in the manner now only too
common.
sorter Injuries Should Be Avoided
Sorter injuries are perhaps the
most common. These are crescent
shaped or semi-circular cuts or in
dentations caused by throwing the DO
tatoes with fork or shovel directly up-
on the wire screen Of the sorter. In
this manner the finest and largest Do
tatoes receive the worst injuries on
account of their greater weight, where
as the culls escape almost uninjured.
1t would be very simple matter to
pad the box or shute of the sorter, or
even to make an extension to the shut
and pad that with old carpet or sack
ing, under which excelsior or other
resilient material might be packed.
The potatoes could then be thrown in
to this padded extension instead Of di-
rectly upon the screen. They would
then roll down upon the screen with
the usual jolting motion Of the sorter
and pass over or through the screen
uninjured.
More Care Necessary in Placing Pc.
tatoes in Cellars
Then again, but too frequently arc
potatoes dumped through windows or
openings into bins or cellars; often
falling 10 or more feet directly to the
floor or upon other potatoes with a
crushing force. This also is quite I'M
Tub - h,,,,1
might be made and be attached to the
opening. This would form q flex-
ible, soft shute, whose lower end
should be held by one operator while
another, outside the building or eel
lar. throws the potatoes into the
mouth Of the shute. The operator