New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1915-01-02
may be fungi or bacterial

nevertheless present and activel
at work causing scabs or rot, an
d worst still injecting the soil an,
e the soil in tuln reinfects tn
h young tuber and then we com
+ plain that our potatoes do no
: keep. Of course this is not tn
J. only reason why some of our pc
tatoes do not keep. How to dis
infect themg This is an easy anC
l inexpensive matter. There ar,
: two ways to do this, one with tn,
: corrosive sublimate Treatment
and the other the formaidehyde
treatment. | shall advise the
fOrmaldehyde or formaiine treat
ment, for it is simple, less dan
gerous and from experience |
know it to do the work properly.
Buy one pint of formaldehyde or
formaline from the drug store
and mix to thirty gallons of wa
ter. Soak the seed potatoes two
hours in this solution, remove and
dry thoroughly. Do not place
the potatoes back in the same
sack or vessel for they will get
reinfected, but place them in
clean vessel and cut them when
ready to plant. They should be
just beginning to sprout and not
have long sprouts. Cut them so
as to leave at least two eyes to
the piece and even three is bet
! ter. Do not eat the potato and
plant the pealing. Plant in rows
from two and half to three feet
apart and about twelve inches in
the row, covering about four
inches. You should plant about
ten bushels to the acre. But do
not think of planting before soak
ing your seed in a corrosive sub
Innate solution ON preferably a
formalin solution. However l
am glad to say that the farmers
of this Parish will not have trou-
BILE in securing good seed potatoes
this year for several of the mer- ,
chants and dealers here are car
rying splendid lot of good seed
potatoes and are anxious to have
nothing but quality potatoes,
vigorous and productive and they |
are doing all they can to get as
near as possible pedigreed seed.
The samples l have seen thus
far are good. Therefore make
early for good seed .
and keep them in a cool dry
place, properly protected and
plant about the fifteenth Of Feb
ruary. Some plant eaaier in this
section, and if we have an early
advent Of Spring they naturally
gain, but should the Spring be
delayed and especially If we
should have q week or so of
warm weather, and then a killing
frost about April the first, nat
nrally these potatoes will have
sprouted during the warm days
snd then be killed down to the
ground by the subsequent frost,
therefore instead Of gaining they t
will have lost as the vitality of
he potato will have been reduced I
BY the putting out of the sprout
AID then being killed. Again if
The cold weather is prolonged, I
hey will not sprout and the '
onger they remain in the ground 9
he greater risk you run Of hav- 4
ng them rot and having a poor I
stand. In any case l would not I
ldvise planting before February 4
;rst. 1q a
BY all means one of the most t
important things to be remember Il
ID in making potatoes is the I
proper preparation of the soil and 6
he proper cultivation. Your 7
oils should be prepared now, I
'reen manure should not be used, y
md by all odds and means re- 8
member that the potato crop is n
cultivated before and very little n
fter planting. Your deep plow- o
ng is done in the Fall and har- a
owed after each hard rain. G
ave given a great deal Of direc- q
ion to individual farmers and II
'roups of farmers but the potato r.
rop for this Parish will be such b
n important part Of our agri- Il
ultural system this Spring that h
am recording a few detailed ex- N
lanations for the simple but q
principles for the "
cientific guidance and develop a.
lent Of this important industry. lie
n next weeks issue, I shall dis W
nss further the preparation of q
he soil, planting and culture, e.
what to use and how II