The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-10-08
AN IMPORTANT CROP

Potatoes are becoming important as
a South Dakota field crop, therefore, it
is imperative that this crop is improv-
ed and standardized so as to secure
better and more uniformly high prices.
How this may be accomplished is ex-
planned as follows by Manley Champ
lin, assistant agronomist at the State
College;
The potato yield can be increased
by careful seed selection, by seed treat
ment, by spraying to prevent insects
and diseases, by growing not more
than two standard varieties and by
community cooperation in the grad
ing, shipping and marketing of the
product.
Among the best varieties are the
Early Ohio, an early, pink tuber, and
the Carmen No. 3, a late. white tuber.
These varieties are used as standard
in the potato testing and breeding
work on the South Dakota Experiment
Station farms. They may well be
made standard market varieties in all
parts of South Dakota at least until
something superior is produced.
Seed selection may best be prac-
ticed in the field as follows: When
digging the potatoes in the fall, take a
bundle of small stakes to the field.
When a hill having an exceptional
number, say five or more, even sized
tubers is found set a stake TO mark it.
Let the picker pick up these seed hills
first. When a sufficient amount of
seed selected in this is found
the hand digging may be discontinued
The hand digging is really about the
only extra work involved in this
method of selection. The Ohio Expert
ment Station has found that this
method of selection increases the yield.
The South Dakota station reported in
Bulletin No. 40, a gain of 28% in yield
from simple selection of seed tubers
and use of resulting large seed pieces.
Treating the seed by soaking in a
solution of M pint of formalin to
forty gallons of water for two hours
prevents scab and helps to give good,
clean. skinned tuberS. Spraying with
Bordeau mixture, consisting of {
pounds of blue vitrol, 5 pounds Of
quick lime and fifty gallons of water
prevents blight. One pound of Paris
green added to this mixture Kills the
potato bugs. BY the use of a large
sprayer, this work may be done
economically.
at is plain that from it's cradle in
the soil to its grave in the consumers
anatomy, the potato teaches the value
of cooperation. In fact, the business
demands cooperation or conduct on Z
large scale for best results. Agree
ment to grow a standard variety, part
nership in the use Of Implements, or
ganization in the grading and market
ing Of the products, all these things
are known TO increase growers profits
WATERFOWL has a potato growers asso
citation and has set the pace in that di
rection.
"If possible, potatoes should not be
grown on the same ground two years
in succession because of the accumula
ton of diseases in the soil which can
not be prevented by treatment. A 70
tation consisting Of potatoes, followed
by barley or wheat, followed by oats
sown with red clover or sweet clover
followed by clover is excellent for the
eastern part of the state. For the cen
trail part, a three year rotation consist
ing of potatoes, small grain and swce
clover would be better as 1t gives
better opportunity to save moisture.
"Clean fertile soil, clean selected
seed, treated and sprayed to preven'
diseases and bugs, marketed under
local cooperative organization make
up the essential conditions involved II
increasing potato profits"