The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1916-12-01
Experiment
Station Work
The jerome sub,statIon.

The rapid development of the north
side Twin Falls tract very quickly
brought 10 light certain probfens con
nected with the potato and suyar-beel
industries that WIN require intensive
application for their solution. In
1913 q tract Of forty acres lying about
one and one-half miles northeast ;o1
Jerome WAS given outright by the pub
ltc-spirtted citizens of that community
to the Regents of the University to
be used BY the Idaho Experiment Sta
ton and the Bureau of Plant industry
of the United States Department Of
Agriculture for the conduct Of ex-
detrimental work In potato growing
and sugar-beet seed production and
for the investigation OF potato DID
eases. The liberal Legislative ap-
preparation OF The 1878 session made
possible the erection ola very service
able set of farm buildings. path
ologfcal laboratory, a greenhouse and
q root cellar The Station Immediately
leased the farm and equipment to the
Bureau of Plant Industry and upon
that Bureau has fallen the responsi-s
bility for the planning and conduct OF
the experimental and Investigations
work Of the nature contemplated by
the donor. Thus far the potato indtis-
try has been given almost exclusive
attention.
The Station is In charge OF a su-
perintendeht who assumes direct |
charge of all potato culture expert
ments Last year about fffty distinct
varieties OF potatoes were grown.
Basing his conclusions upon results
secured at harvest time, the superfn.1
Lendent regards tie Melted Gem, thet
Peoples. the Idaho Rural. the White
Peach Blow. the Red Peach Blow. and
he Rural New Yorker as the most
varieties for conditions 'sim,I
lar to those which prevail generally
throughout the north side Twin Falls
rnct. A large number of seedlinssI
rere grown In 1916 and again In 1915
|ome Of them appear to be very prom
sing A prominent feature OF theI
uitural work has been the growing
( potatoes from carefully graded
eed Of eight ounce. six2ouncc, aud
,ur-ounce sizes planted whole. halv-
4. and CHARTERED. This work hxs
OF yet progressed as far as 1t Ought =
} enable definite conclusions but u
SENS now to point to the .in&dviSa- o
Ility Of using whole seed. THIS con p
usion was reached 1T both the 0oods p
& and Aberdeen Stations from re- X
Its OF similar series OF expert tei
euts. Tho superintendent Is also al
vestigatins the effect OF different r.
orase conditions ON seed. tho effect m
maturity Of seed. and tie erect Of Al
: greentHr Of seed as nfeasuted by 80
pp yields Of the succeeding harvest.j to-
me valuable data bearing upon 90
sse points will be available Within Go
} near future. All potato cultural tn
periments are conducted In rotation TIL
b alfalfa an
For the study of potato diseases DC
Bureau of Plant Industry has sta
led 4 pathologist on full time and SOC
assistant pathologist on part time Wit
he Jerome station. The facilities tab
vided by the State for this work son
excellent and already some very s
| and thorough work has been ac- the
plished. At one time 1t was 1880
ght that the virgin soils of this frof
on presented extremely favorable to
itions for the growing of disease son
sSed potatoes Very much to In
urprfss Of the potato growers and lisA
ointment pathol6sfsts, It was soon trad
ver6d that raw sage-brush land tt
ID that has never before been In poin
atton dose not insure FREEDOM q Her,
y j ~ -