The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1915-04-15
BoLLEY WANTS POTATO
q. GROWERS TO. ORGANIZE

(By H. L. Bolley, secretary North
Dakota Improved Seed Growers as
sociation.) ..-,.s e
The writer has lately received a
very interesting letter from the stand.
point of potato growing. quote it
In full in order that potato growers of
North Dakota may see what is be-
ing done in Wisconsin to put Wiscon-
sin on the map of potato growers.
North Dakota can probably dis
count any state, in the area of new
lands which are free from potato
troubles or potato diseases. 1t would
therefore be well to think about the
formation of Potato Growers associa'
lions, local and statewide, with a
view Of being able to carry out some
thing similar to that which the Wis
consin people have been doing. If we
had a good local growers association
formed about each shipping point with
the growers closely associated for
meeting market conditions, proper
field plot inspection for control of
diseases and other cropping difficult
ties would soon be a possibility.
The letter was accompanied with a
large list of growers whose seed had
been properly certified, after the same
manner that the pure seed laboratory
here is now certifying certain types Of
farm seeds:
Madison, Wis, March S, 1915.
ITO the agricultural press, expert
ment station officers and representa-.
tives of the potato seed industry:
"Your attention is called to the fact
that the Wisconsin college of agri-
culture has just completed the last bin
under the plan of official
for certifcation which was
in Wisconsin this year.
Certificates have been issued to the
list of growers furnished herewith.
"The plan of inspection as carried
out has involved an inspection of the
growing fields. AS result the grow
err has been enabled to eliminate all
mixtures, weak hills, stem wilt, and
leaf-roll troubles.
GAS a result Of the bin inspection
late blight rot has been eliminated,
also any serious condition Of common
scab, rhizoctonia, coarse stock and
stock extremely off type.
1T is of course well known that
the powdery scab and the wart dis
eases have not been found in Wis
consin. 1t is also true that on &C.
count of the large amount of COM
paratively new or virgin soils under
development in Wisconsin that a large
amount of stock is practically free
from such common maladies as are,
serious in some of the older potato
growing regions.
Relative to the plan of official in
spection referred to above, the hor-
ticultural department of the Wiscon-
sin college of agriculture will be very
glad to furnish complete information
upon inquiry. Address all communi
cations to J. G.. Milward, Madison,
Wisconsin.
Very truly yours,
J. G. MILWARD.
North Dakota people should soon
realize that if they are going into
the potato growing or potato ship
ping business that they should select
a particular variety for a particular
shipping point and most of the grow
ers undertake to grow that particular
variety so that they may be shipped
by carload lots. They should also
make such provision as will make it
possible for all of the growers in a
particular region to understand just
how to select their seed so as to have
the right form for shipping and how
to select the seed so as to escape the
potato disease, and last, but not
least, how to treat the seed and spray
the vines to control the diseases
which must be controlled in order to
raise a pay crop of potatoes after the
first two or three years in any large
potato growing district.
At the last Tri-state Grain Grow.
ers' meeting preliminary steps were
taken looking toward the formation
of local growers associations. At that
meeting was asked to aid the com.
mittee then appointed in getting lis,
of all growers interested in growing
potatoes for shipping purposes. Those
interested should send in their names
and addresses and those of neigh.
bors who are largely interested in the
growing of potatoes. Let us hear
from you as / wish to turn over a
good list of names. Meetings will be