Evening journal., 1915-08-06
BIC Loss YEARLY
ON sweet POTATOES
Disease and Poor Storage
Cost Delaware Growers
$4,000 Annually
COLLEGE BULLETIN
EXPLAINS DETAILS

Special to THE EVENING JOURNAL.
NEWARK, Aug. 6-Delaware sweet
potato growers are losing $4,000 an
nually as the result of various dis
eases that annually injure the crop
in the field and in storage This
statement is made in a bulletin just
issued by DR.. Thomas F. Manns and
DR.. Jacob j. Taubenhaus plant path
ologists at the Delaware College
Experiment Station. entitled "The
Diseases of the Sweet Potato and
Their Control" The bulletin is the
result of several years of careful in
vestigation and study by these two
men of the conditions in the sweet
potato districts of the State
The bulletin will be of great value
to every farmer not only in Delaware
but throughout the Delmarvia PENN
sula who raises sweet potatoes. as it
makes suggestions for the control Of
the diseases that are causing them
heavy losses yearly, in addition to
describing the disease itself. The
same diseases prevail in the sweet
potato districts of Maryland, Virginia
and New Jersey as well as a number
of Southern States, so that the annual
loss to the growers in this country
from the diseases that have been in
vestigated amounts to millions of dol
lars annually Much of the trouble
comes after the potatoes have been
stored and therefor Drs Manns and
Taubenhaus made a careful investi-
cation of the storage houses and
make some suggestions as to solving
the problems and controlling the dis
eases. Much of the storage trouble.
it has been found, comes from poor
ventilation.
In a statement relative to the losses
sustained yearly by the Delaware
growers the authors of the bulletin
says
"The sweet potato industry is an i'm
portant one in the South Atlantic anc
Gulf States. This, like most other in
tensive crops, is beset bv a number O.
diseases which are causing enormous
losses and in consequence are materially
affecting the profits to be made in grow
ing and marketing a plant that has al
important bearing upon our national fooC
supply.
Data obtained the past few years in
dicate that Delaware is losing annually
from field and storage diseases of tn,
sweet potato fully $4,000 The l0l.
crop was estimated to be 100000 bush
els, worth 6s cents per bushel, OF S40s,
o00. The 1918 crop was estimated al
SIS. 900 bushels worth 60 cents pei
bushel and valued at Si05 900. Losses
1are caused by reduction in crop yiel,
through diseases carried to the ficl,
on the slips from the seed bed or from
infection already'in the field These fiel,
infections reduce the yield approximate
" 10 per cent. and cause a loss of $40,
600. Losses in storage amount to abou
20 per cent of the crop, valued a
$4,000. The percentage of loss is prob
ably Just as large in the sweet potat
districts in Maryland, Virginia an,
other States that grow large acreages O
this valuable vegetable
These losses are caused by several dis
eases; the principal ones being: Blael
rot, stem wilt, ground rot, also know
as 'poX" or "pit," white rust, septori
leaf spot, Soft rot, charcoal rot and dr.,
rot.
"These have been studied somewha
at length in the seed bed, field, storag
house and in the laboratory
After devoting many pages of the bul
letin to the symptoms and causes OF tn
various diseases and suggestions as I
controlling them, Drs. Alanns and Tau
nenhaus give the following summary a
the conclusions they have reached afte
several years study of the diseases
the sweet potato in the field and stol
age houses of Delaware;
1. The sweet potato is an import
ant croD in Delaware.
2. The success of the sweet potat'
crop depends upon the use Of gooC
seed. Seconds should be avoided as
much as possible. Slip seeds. ol
seeds from cuttings every third year
followed by the use of primes every
two years. properly treated with cor