The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1918-11-13

1e11 uA4SA > Ill all Pal W VI LIN CVOlE.
try are asked by the United States
Department Of Agriculture to watch
for instances Of potato wart, q dis
ease that has been discovered in gar
dens in 10 small mining towns in
Lazerne County, eastern Pennsylva-
MIA, and that it. is feared has been
carried by European shipments to
other districts. The disease may be
recognized by irregular, warty out
growths, beginning in the tender it's
sues near the eyes and enlarging un-
til the entire potato may be changed
into a black and worthless mass.
All suspicious cases should be re-
ported to the Department Of Agri-
culture, Washington, D. c., or to the
State colleges of Agriculture. All
diseased potatoes should be burned
and the infected ground staked off.
The extent of the infestation in
Luzerne County has not yet been de-
tern1ined, but an active survey of
this and other districts is now under
way. In most of these gardens it
has been observed by the owners
during the last two seasons. In
many gardens it has been severe for
three years, while in few instances
it has done considerable damage for
four years.
The source of the disease appears
to be shipment of several carloads
of European potatoes of inferior
quality, distributed in 1912 before
the passage of the plant quarantine
act. Since that date the Importation
of potatoes from countries where
potato wart is known to exist has
been prohibited by the Federal Hort
iculture Board, but the disease has
evidently: become established in some
localities.
The wart is disease attacking
the tubers and also the stems. The
young gals are whitish or greenish,
suggesting a caulidower head. In
the present outbreak the disease
manifests itself in a very severe
form, though in a limited area, prac-
tically destroying the whole crop in
many of the gardens effected.
There is little danger that the dis
ease will spread rapidly to neighbor-
ing States, as the Pennsylvania State
authorities, under the leadership of
Economic Zoologist J. G. Sanders,
are cooperating in the survey and
will take the necessary restrictive
measures to prevent infective ma
terial from moving out of the dis
trict. Furthermore, since the infest-
ed towns are isolated and nonagri-
cultural, there is no outward ship
ment Of potatoes.
1t is feared that other shipments
of European potatoes, made prior to
the quarantine, have carried the dis
ease to other districts. 1t should be
sought. for especially in the gardens
of industrial and mining villages,
which were the principal markets
or cheap foreign potatoes In such
places garbage is thrown into the
garden and potatoes are grown con-
tinuously, thus favoring the spread
of wart disease.
European experience with wart
disease, particularly in England, in
dicates it to be very serious trou-
BILE. The saving feature is the dis
covery that certain varieties of po-
tatoes are immune, and only these
ale now allowed to- be planted on
infested land.
No American varieties have vet
been found resistant. The English
sorts will be tried, though expert
ence to date is that European pota-
toes as a class do not give good re-
suits in this country.