Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-04-07
INVESTIGATION OF
POTATO DISEASES
Canyon County Agent, De-
partment Of Agriculture,
Reports on His Work.

Caldwell. April AFTER an examina-
ton in 40 different places in this coun-
ty in the investigation Of potatoes and
their diseases, w. T. Mccall, county
agent, United States department Of
agriculture. gives out The following
statement in reference to the deduction
consequent to his research:
Il have examined potatoes and dis
cussed potato disease in not less than
40 different localities in Canyon county
In every place where potatoes were ex-
amined, two diseases, rhizoctonia and
while scab was also common, and in
many instances so per cent of the tu-
bers examined were infested.
Reduced by Diseases.
The only conclusion to be drawn
from such condition is that the yield
Of potatoes In Canyon county FIELDS
must have been reduced in 1915 any
where from 10 to 80 per cent on ac-
count Of diseases alone.
Another fact brought out by the
work in Canyon county this year is
that but few Of the people who grow
potatoes know diseases when present,
nor what control methods should be
practiced in order to hold the diseases
in check.
In order to demonstrate the best
known methods of potato disease con-
troll. and to find out how applicable
they are to Canyon county conditions,
potato disease control work will be done
by the county agent and e. P. Taylor,
of the extension department Of the
University of Idaho. on the following
Canyon county farms: Mr.. Givens,
Payette; Mr.. Hinchliff, New Plymouth;
Mr.. Talbot Notus; NJ Frosig, Wilder;
Charles Colliam, Deer Flat, and j.
Salisbury, Melba.
The first work taken up will be seed
treatment for scab anC rhizoctonia, and
seed selection for fusarium wilt.
This work has already been done at
Notus. Payette and New Plymouth and
will be conducted on the remaining
farms on dates to be announced later.
Seed Selection Work.
The seed selection work will be done
in the forenoons and the seed treat
ment work at p. m. At each seed
treating demonstration, Mr.. Taylor will
discuss disease control methods from
the standpoint of seed selection, seed
treatment, irrigat ion, cultivation,
rogueing, tuber unit planting and hill
selection.
"one acre will be the average size
of field chosen for planting of treated
and untreated, and selected and unse-
lected seed. During the summer
months. on dates to be announced later
rogueing of diseased plants from test
plots will be practiced. and where own
er has reasonably pure seed, and so
desires, the field will be gone over dur
ing blooming season and any plants
that are not true to type will be re-
moved.
In the fall of the year the fields will
be again gone over and seed for the
work in 1917 will be selected from the
high yielding and reasonably disease
free hills. Accurate records of work
done will be Kept and the results ac-
complished will be published at the
end of the season. Every man in Can
yon county interested in growing po-
tatoes on a commercial scale and at
profit should endeavor to be present.at
every field meeting on those demon
stration farms, prepared to lend assist
ance, to watch results, and to cooper
ate In every possible way in working
out method Of potato disease control
for Canyon county for if the present
methods of potato growing are not
changed very soon, we will find that
we cannot grow and market potatoes
at a profit, for the diseases will get
worse every year, and the reduced
J .elds we do secure will find a slow
mark ct