The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-04-30

used for the first application and 100
gallons per acre did the work nicely.
For the second application $3.50
strength was used and 200 gallons per
acre was required. The first applica-
tion cost $3.50 per acre, while the
second cost was almost doubled. Most
of this seed was taken from the field
that had been badly blighted the pre-
vious season but no diseased seed was
planted; all the seed was treated for
scab and planting was in clean land.
In return for this trouble and expense
about 20 tons of potatoes per acre
were harvested practically all free
from blight and scab. Many grow
ers who failed to select and plant
clean seed and neglected to spray.
harvested less than so per cent. Of
their crop. Some report total loss.
Selection Of Seed
One of the most important prin-
ciples Of potato growing and one
which is too often neglected Is the
selection Of seed. We would not plant
screenings to raise wheat crop nor
use our poorest stock for breeding
purposes. Why then should we sell
our best potatoes and use the culls
for seed?
Shortly before digging time go
through the fields and mark with
stakes the healthest, best formed and
most vigorous plants. Dig thise hills
first and save the uniform tubers
from the best yielding hills. Use these
tubers for the selected seed of next
year. If the grower has large acre.
age of potatoes he can plant the Sc
lected seed in rows near the main
field, giving them as good care as he
gives the main crop. From these
rows he may choose out the best hills
each year for the selected seed of the
next year, using the remaining rows
for seed of the main field For a
small field enough seed can be Sc
cured directly from the selected hills
without growing the selected rows in
addition.
1t Is good practice for grower to
have small variety field where he
can try several varieties and deter
mine those best adapted to his par
ticular conditions Different strains
Of the same variety often differ in
more characters than the varieties
themselves Some growers by careful
selection are securing strains of va
rieties which surpass the parent
strain. while others are securing new
varieties. While this may seem an un-
important practice to some growers.
nevertheless, 1t has tendency to pro-
duce and maintain only the best
strains of the best varieties.
Storage and Varieties
Growers differ on the subjects Of
storage and market. Some believe po-
tatoes should be kept out of doors and
covered with earth while others prefer
to have a storage room or cellar for
storage. All, however, agree that
stored potatoes should be kept cool
and dry.
Potatoes kept out t-of-door are usu-
ally piled in dry well-drained loca-
tion and covered with boards and a
few inches Of soil to protect them
from freezes and rain. They should
not be pitted in hole in the ground
or piled on poorly drained location,
for water is apt to collect around the
tubers and rotting soon takes place.
When stored indoors the tubcrs
keep best in bins, sacks or barrels in
cool, we'll ventilated room.
Whether 1t is better practice to
market in the fall just after harvest
ing or whether storage and spring
marketing is best depends much upon
local conditions and the object for
which the crop is grown. Potatoes
grown particularly for seed are kept
in storage and sold in the spring.
With good facilities for storing, some
growers find It more profitable to
hold their marketable tubers and sell
them In the spring when prices are
usually high. Others claim the Diff
ference between fall and spring prices
will no more than balance the loss by
shrinkage in storage.
Catering to fancy potato trade Is
sometimes quite profitable. but such
a trade is usually quite limited. Car.
load lots Of one or two varieties are
usually more easily marketed than
small quantities, or even large quan-
titles containing several varieties.
A potato trade that seems at present
badly neglected Is the seed potato
trade. 1t is hard to secure good seed