The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1917-05-17
MARKET UNCHANGED
Receipts Are Light and the Price is
the Same as Last Week,
S1.75 Being Paid.
About 900 Cars Have Been Shipped
From Here This Season.
Other Spud Notes.


Prices on the local potato market
remain unchanged and receipts have
been very light. The price is still SITS
per bushel. The bulk of the stock has
been moved. Local buyers estimate
that about 10 cars remain in the
hands of farmers, while about IL
cars are stored in Princeton ware
houses. Thus far about 900 carloads
have been shipped from the Princeton
depot. This is less than half the
average shipments in ordinary sea-
sons.
The Chicago potato market was
firmer last week, and prices ranged
considerable higher. Receipts were
lighter than the previous week and op-
orators were of the opinion that prac-
tically all of the old stock left was
on wheels.
Reports coming in from producing
sections seem to indicate that a lib
eral acreage will be planted to pota-
toes the coming season. At a recent
meeting Of something like As county
agents in Michigan the concensus of
opinion seemed to be that the acre
age of that state would be increased
from 10 to Is per cent. Reports
coming in from the sandland district
in Minnesota also point to an in
creased acreage in this important
section. The Red River Valley, how
ever, from all indications, will have a
somewhat decreased acreage over that
of 1916. No authentic information is
available at this time as to the out
look for Wisconsin.
Southern potatoes are moving free
ly now, and daily shipment are report
ed from Louisiana, Alabama and Miss
issippi.
The scarcity Of good seed potatoes
has brought up the question of the
advisability of using small tubers for
seed. The factors following will usu-
ally govern ins the case of small tu-
college of agriculture. In statement
this week, the college experts said that
close planting will reduce the size of
the tubers somewhat and is resorted
to when tubers naturally grow large.
Such a practice will not in itself re-
suit in the production of small tubers
that are unfit to plant. Poor culture
conditions and protracted drought dur
ing the summer or infertile soil may
be responsible for low yield and small
tubers. Such small tubers are not
~ necessarily unfit for planting provided
they come from plants that under
more favorable conditions would have
produced good yield. Tubers that
are small because of immaturity due
to death of the vines by frost or early
digging are not unfit for seed. Indeed,
some experienced potato growers ia
vor the use of immature seed potatoes
as it is claimed they produce more
vigorous plants.
When the seed tubers are small be-
cause the larger and more market
able ones have been sorted out for
other purposes, the resulting crop will
be disappointing in many instances, it
is declared. 1t is we'll known that
plants affected with diseases such as
wilt, black leg, curly dwarf, mosaic,
and leaf roll, as we'll as plants consti-
tutionally weak, produce small tubers
for the most part, and since these
diseases can be transmitted with the
tubers, seed from such plants should
=" be carefully avoided for planting.
Unfortunately tubers affected with
these diseases cannot be distinguished
from healthy ones or if so the dis
tinction is made with difficulty. When
only small tubers are selected for
planting there are strong chances of
getting such affected tubers; and when
a practice is kept up for two or three
years the yield becomes so poor that
the potatoes are said to have run out.
If seed potatoes are small because
the vines were killed by frosts or
other unfaverable weather conditions
last year, they are not necessarily I'M
fit for planting, but if they are small
because Of the first-named reasons
the seed should be used as it runs
rather than have the larger seed sort
ed out for other purposes. Extremely
small potatoes are, of course, regard
ed as unsatisfactory for seed pur-
poses.
ATTEMPTS Suicide