The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1913-05-08

hyde and make the dipping SOLUTION
weaker.
After the potatoes have been dipped
they ought to be cut and planted
within half day or spread out to dry.
If allowed to stand around in a wet
condition considerable injury may re-
suit. go f.: .4 49,.
Where planting is done on large
scale it would probably be most de-
sirable to plan on dipping the potatoes
far enough ahead so that they can be
dried before cutting. If special dry
ing platform were prepared for this
purpose with q floor made OF lumber
three or four inches wide and with
cracks an inch wide between the
boards, and this floor were set up
about eighteen inches from the ground
30 that the air could circulate freely
under it, the potatoes would dry very
fapidly. The potatoes should be
spread Cit il q !sEsr see9ff Pix Inches
where the wind has a good chance to
get at it. If desired, potatoes can be
treated in this manner some time be-
fore they are to be planted and stored
away again until needed.
AZ igg9Esan5 matter to keep in
mind In CONNECTION with treatment
for potato scab is that it Is what may
be called germ" disease. Sacks
which have contained scabby pota-
toes have the scab germ on them and
II treated potatoes are put back into
such sacks the germs will get back
on the potatoes again and infect
them. For that reason new sacks,
baskets and shovels should be used
for handling dipped potatoes. or else
they should be treated just as the
potatoes are in order to kill the germs
on them. The same would be true Of
putting treated potatoes into a bin
which had contained scabby potatoes.
AS the bin cannot be dipped a meth
cd Of treating it would be to take a
broom and with some double strength
potato dip thoroughly wash it out.
The scab germs remain in the soil
where a scabby crop has been grown
and continue to live there for five or
six years afterward. To get rid Of
scab in the soil rotation must be
planned so that potatoes will not come
on the same piece of land any more
often than Is necessary, preferably
not until the sixth year on scabby
land. Dipping should not be neglect
ed, however, If it is necessary to
plant on such land within that time.
Manure, lime and wood ashes are
favorable to scab md may increase
the amount of scab If any germs are
present in the soil or on the seed pota-
toes to start IL. Fresh manure Is
more likely to cause trouble than rot
ted manure. The best way to handle
manure for potatoes is to put it on
some preceding crop, such as on q
clover meadow which is to be plowed
up in the fall for potatoes. Some
times manure causes trouble because
Of feeding the scabby potatoes to the
stock and then spreading the manure
on potato land. Cooking the potatoes
destroys the scab germs and prevents
trouble from this source.
Sometimes the formaldehyde OBJ
,ained does not give satisfactory re-
suits on account of it's being below
the required standard in strength.
Wherever there is any reason to be-
lieve that anything is wrong with the
formaldehyde obtained, residents of
Minnesota may send sample to the
Division of Chemistry, University
Farm, st. Paul, to be tested free of
charge. A bottle containing not less
thar two ounces should he sent