The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-09-28
SWEET POTATO CROP
THREATENED BY PEST
Prof, Rolls of Food Prepared
ness Commission Sounds
Warning.

Now it is the sweet potato crop Oh
Florida that is threatened with de-
vasration bv the invasion OF destruc-
tive insect pest. The sweet potato
root weeyil has been found to occur IN
four widely separated areas IN the
State and in each locality where 1t
has been established for three years
or more it has made the profitable cul-
rnre of the sweet potato impossible
In fact, in the infested localities the
f@rmer finds it difficult to raise even
enough sweet potatoes for the use OF
his family. -,
the gravest concern by the state
Plant Board for perhaps no crop IN
Florida is of as great Importance IN
supplying food to our people Inc
poorer class of people, particularly,
look to the sweet potato crop as their
principal food supply. The adoption
bv the government, of the sweet pota-
to as one Of the regular articles, IN
the menu of our troops also makes
the preservation and increase of the
sweet potato crop one Of the most
important steps in the national de-
ferse.
The Y2st is not new to the southern
states. having been known in the
southern portion of Louisiana for the
mast twenty years. Experience in
that State and in Texas has shown
tha+ at ali infested points within six
tv or seventy miles of the Gulf Coast
the pest continues to destroy prac-
ticalIy the entire sweet potato crop
YEAR after year, No satisfactory
measures Of controlling it have been
found. There are also infested areas
of greater or less extent in Missls-
sippi, Alabama and Georgia and the
rest is evidently very abundant in
Cuba.
State Plant Commissioner Wilmon
Newell has been active for several
months. investigating the extent of
infested areas in Florida, the means
by which the weevil is spread to new
localities and in placing before the
Plant Board plans for stopping its
further spread.
1t has been found, for example, that
shipments of sweet potato tuberS and
vines. infested with the weevil, have
been coming into Florida from other
States and sack after sack Of infested
potatoes and vines have arrived at
Kew West and TAMPA on vessels from
Cuba. Whenever these infested ship
ments have been detected bv the in
spectors of the Plant Board they have
either been sent back or destroyed,
but it is manifestly impossible for the
Plant Board inspectors to see every
shipment of plants and potatoes COM
ing into Florida. In such infested
shipments lies the greatest danger of
the pest becoming established in new
localities. After considering this sit
uation in all its aspects the Plant
Board came to the conclusion that the
Florida farmers could not be protect
ed against this pest unless the ship
ment of sweet potatoes and plants in
TO the State was stopped. Accord
ingly, at its meeting on Aug. 13, 1917
the Board adopted Rule 80" which
prohibits the importation of sweet pO-
tato plants and vines from all states
and countries. While this quarantine
will shut off the steady influx of wee
vil-infested material which has beer
coming into the State, it will not work
any hardship on Florida citizens fol
the State always has produced more
sweet potatoes than are needed fol
its own use and there is no occasion
to import sweet potatoes. Provis.
ion is made in the new quarantine
rule for the importation Of limited
amounts of new or rare varieties un,
der special permits issued by The
Plant Commissioner, Gainesville
Florida.