Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1916-12-01
EXPERIMENT STATION WORK.
The Jerome Sub Station

side Twin Falls tract very quickly
brought to light certain problems con-
nected with the potato and sugar bee
Industries that will require intensiv,
. application for their solution. In 1919
tract OF forty acres lying abou
one and one-h half miIes northeast OF
Jerome was given outright by a pub.
lic-spirited citizen OF that community
TO the Regents OF the University &c
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-
perimental work in potato growing
and sugar beet seed production and
for the investigation OF potato dis
eases. The liberal legislative appro-
/ priations OF the 1918 session made
possible the erection Of a very service
able set OF farm buildings, a patho-
[ logical laboratory, a greenhouse and
a root cellar. The Station immedi-
ately leased the farm and equipment
TO the Bureau OF Plant Industry and
upon that Bureau has fallen the re-
sponsibility for the planning and con-
duct OF the experimental and investi-
gationsl work Of the nature contem-
plated by the donor. Thus far the
potato industry has been given almost
exclusive attention.
The Station is In charge of a SUI
perintendent who assumes direct |
charge Of all potato cultural expert |
ments. Last year about fifty distinct |
varieties Of potatoes were grown.
Basing his conclusions upon results
secured at harvest time, the superin-
tendent regards the Melted Gem. the
Peoples, the Idaho Rural. the White
Peach Blow, the Red Peach Blow, and
the Rural New Yorker as the most
promising varieties for conditions sim
liar to those which prevail generally
throughout the north side Twin Falls
tract a large number of seedlings
were grown in 1915 and again in 1916
Some Of them appear to be very prom
Using, A Prominent feature of the
cultural work has been the growing
Of potatoes from carefully graded seed
OF eight ounce. six ounce, and four
ounce sizes planted whole. halved. and ;
quartered. This work has not yet
progressed as far as it ought to en- {
able definite conclusions but seems
now to point to the inadvisability of &
was reached at both the Gooding and {
Aberdeen Stations from results of v
similar series of experiments. The a
is also investigating the l
fleet of different storage conditions
m seed. the effect of maturity of seed c
md the effect Of the greening Of seed v
succeeding hasWesi. Some valuable t
ata bearing upon these points will N
e available within the near future II
Ill potato cultural experiments are t,
onducted in rotation with alfalfa. II
For the study Of potato diseases, the u
bureau of Plant Industry has station t,
a pathologist on full time and an a
pathologst on part time at Il
ne Jerome station. The facilities W
rovided by the state for this work al
re excellent and already some very
ood ard thorough work has been ac- a.
emphasized AT one time 1t was thot II
nat the virgin soils of this section in
resented extremely favorable condi- DC
ons for the growing Of disease free tn
ed potatoes. Very much to the sur I'll
rise of the potato growers and OF IA
-ominent Psychologists. it was soon w
scovered that raw sage brush land
land that has never before been in II
Iltivation does not insure freedom Of ex
sease in the potatoes grown upon it. a
apartments of the pathologist sta Pa
oned at Jerome however. indicate we
at the prevalent diseases Of pota-
es can be satisfactorily controlled sx
hen certain precautions as to treat frt
ent OF seed and the rotation of crops tn
SIC been adopted. Letters of inquiry
dressed either to the superintendent
the Jerome Station or to the pa
ologist Of the Jerome station will
ceive prompt consideration Two
~ valuable papers based upon re-
It's secured at the Jerome Station '"'
We already been published in the
urnal OF Agricultural Research. Re
ints OF these papers are not avail ~
lie for general distribution but the -,
biologist OF the Station will use -,
, same data in answering inquiries 49,,