Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-11-21
POTATO NOTES

| iliS tO\ Tie IepOIlS OH our QcSk from
the Office of Markets, the movements
of potatoes has been light the past
week. From November 9 to Is in
elusive, total shipment amounted to
1928 cars. OF this number 65S were
shipped out of Maine. These figures
compare as follows with last week:
Total $685. from Maine s34 The price
quoted Nov. IS was $500 Dbl.
| The Massachusetts Board of Agri-
culture reports the great scarcity of
| potatoes is due in part to heavy pur-
chaseS for the warning nations of Eu-
rope. A large part of the Maine crop,
1t is declared, has been bought up by
! agents of the belligerents. The price
IN this market has more than doubled
since year ago. Secretary Wilfrd
| Wheeler says: The foreign govern
ments are buying Maine potatoes in
| large quantities, and are having them
| dried-and put into a condensed form
on this side of the ocean, and then they
intend to ship them to Europe as -four
or some substance The largest fac
tory in the country of this kind is To-
Gated in Caribou, and is operated by
r. l.. Pitcher, one of that towns pro-
gressive business men.
| Three years ago q Caribou man
bought a second hand automobile,
paying for the same with 500 barrels
| of potatoes, which netted the original
owner a good price as he sold them
at $3.50 per barrel, or $3.50. A few
months ago the owner of the auto
sold it. the purchaser agreeing to
| give $50 barrels of potatoes this year,
and another hundred in 1917. At the
price prevailing, $500, the second
| owner of the car has had the use of it
for three years, receive $1,000 for a
| $3.50 investment, and has 100 barrels
Of Aroostook's choicest to speculate
on next year.
| Potato prices at Caribou have taken
| the first big slump of the year, with a
drop Of from 6o cents to $1.G0 on the
7 barrel. This started Friday afternoon
when the price dropped to 1885 per
! barrel. Some of the farmers were able
to get only SO on loads brought in the
latter part of the afternoon. The mar
ket is way off-far more so than at
any other time during the year. How
long this will last was Il matter of
much conjecture all day Saturday. The
market was at standstill as the farm
ers would not sell and it was far too
risky for the buyers to take anv
chances. Some of the buyers for the
| business houses did a small business.
however.
Many Potato Troubles Caused by Sick
Seed.
We clip the following from a Flor
ida paper:
Many potato diseases are transmit
cd through the seed. Obviously the
most simple remedy for such diseases
is prevention by planting disease free
seed. DR.. c. D. Shrbakoff, associate
plant pathologist to the University of
Florida Experiment Station, mentions
the following among the diseases
which are carried by the seed: Mosa-
| ic black-leg and rot. black scurf,
| common scab. dry rot and wilt, late
blight and rot. With the exception
of late blight and rot none of these.
diseases can be controlled by any
spraying.
Only in extreme cases can these
diseases be detected on the seed
even by an expert. Consequently the
grower cannot hope to tell by examin-
alton whether the seed are clean. The
only way to be sure is to obtain seed
potatoes from fields not infected.
Such fields exist in the North. The
local Potato Growers Association, the
Experiment Station, agents Of the
Bureau of Plant Industry. United
States Department of Agriculture can
probably supply names of growers
who can furnish disease-free seed.
DR.. Sherbkaoff recommends that
growers form an association, or act
thrnnTh association 2lra2dv
formed, to employ a man who shall
inspect Northern fields when the po-
tatoes are growing and who shall rec
ommend only seed from those fields
which he has found disease-free.
Growers should purchase from such
certified fields. However, since it is
about time to buy, growers will have
to depend on the availability of clean
seed. Next spring they can send
their inspector into the fields.