The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-09-28
ADVICE SEED
POTATOCROWERS
Selection fcr Next Year Should
Be Made Before This Year y
Harvest.

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potatoes plans for next year. He states
the 1916 crop is ready for harvest, but
before this is done, the selection Of the
growers seed for next year should be
made.
The quality and quantity of seed pro-
duccd this year by the Western Mary,
land Seed Potato Growers Association
as a whole is excellent and that with
the exception Of very little, it is above
the standard set, which is a very high
one, ard is eligible for certfcation,
and will add to the price obtained for it.
but that the growers who have been so
successful thisyear should be very care
full in selection of their seed for next
season.
To equal this years yield and quality
the following suggestions by Prof
Temple of the Maryland Agriculture ex-
tension Service are being sent out to
potato growers:
Coed seed potatoes should be true TO
name, Of medium size, free from dis
ease, and capable Of producing sprouts
that will grow vigorously. The plant
ing of mixed varieties on the Eastern
Shore has resulteI IN more or less loss
to the growers. In at least one case,
the writer found recently as much as
% per cent. of Green Mountain in a
field Of Irish Cobbler, and only rarely
did he find q field of unmiXed Cobbers.
even though he travelled more than two
hundred miles through the potato re-
gion. 1t should be noted in this con-
necuon that Green Mountain plants in
field Of early Cobblers are not more
than So many weeds. 1t should be not
ed also that Of the many fields observ-
ed, those planted with northern seed
showed the most mixture and the most
disease. From these observations, it
would seem that some effort should be
made to obtain or produce seed potatoes
free from mixture. 1t is understood
that certain growers in Maine are max
, ing considerable progress in the pro-
duction Of unmiXed seed by roguing
their fields and by practicing the seed
plat and hill section methods. Seed
produced in this way is very desirable,
and it should be obtained by our grow
ers. In the Frostburg region Of West
ern Maryland. 500 bushels Of this select
Main seed is being planted this year IN
an attempt to produce good seed
potatoes at home. The conditions Of
Western Maryland are similar to those
Of Maine; and, the seed has been handl-
ed and the fields are gong to be cared
for in the most approved manner for
the production Of A No. / seed.
We are beginning to learn in the i'm
provement Of any plant, or any domes-
tic animal. that it is the behavior Of the
individual which is of prime Importance.
To improve the egg production Of cur
poultry, we trapnest our hens; to i'm
prove the production of our dairy herd,
We test our cows for butterfat; and IN
like manner, We improve the production
of our corn, wheat, tomatoes and pota
toes, we must know the production Of
the individual In every case. whether
plant or animal, we must eliminate the
low producers and propagate from only
the best. As in other plants, and in
animals, there are many strains in every
variety of potato; for example, there
are low yielding strains and high yield
ing strains with knotty tubers or sub
ject to second growth and strains in
which these characters almost never
appear; and, there are strains that are
susceptible to disease and strains more
resistant to disease. By hill selection,
many of the undesirable characters are
gradually eliminated although they may
never entirely disappear. On the other
hand, by the bin method of selecting
seed, the undesirable characters can
never be eliminated; smooth, medium
sized tuber from the bin or Darrell might
appear desirable for seed, yet it may
have come from a hill that had in 1t all
the undesirable strains mentioned above.
The bin method of selecting seed, there
fore, cannot be depended upon to
materially improve the potato crop.
The hill method requires extra labor,
as the selected hills are usually dug
with fork before the vines die. 1t is
important to select first thrifty plant,
and if the tubers on it do not come up
to your standard OF size, yield, type,
earliness and freedom from disease
they may be covered up and left till
digging time. Enough should be Sc
lected in this manner to plant a sepa-
rate lot or a number of rows IN the
field which we may designate as seed
plat
Every grower who raises his own
seed should have seed plat. The best
hills in the seed plat will furnish the
seed for the seed plat the following
year. and the others will furnish the
seed for the general crop the following
year.