Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1920-09-17
INFORMATION FOR LINCOLN
COUNTY POTATO GROWERS

growers of Idaho look out for seed
potatoes now E. r. Bennett. field hor-
ticulturist of the University of Idaho
extension division, says that 1000 cars
OF seed viii be required TO plant Ida
hos next years crop Of potatoes, and
that farmers must begin to select the
tubers they will plant.
"Othr things being equal" he says,
The yield and quality of any crop of
potatoes will depend on the quality
and freedom from disease of the seed
used in planting the crop. This state
ment Of a well-known truth has been
brought forcibly to my mind again and
again in the past month while looking
over some hundreds of fieldse of grow
ing potatoes that we have just seen
in trip over the potato growing
counties of Idaho
I'VE pride ourselves on the big yields
and fine quality of potatoes grown in
Idaho. and well we may. for no state
in the union produces better. but we
have diseases in our potatoes-several
Of them-and they are becoming more
numerous.
1.-TWO years ago we found few
plants in the fall that had gone down
from the effects of the 'black-leg' di-
sease. On this recent trip we have
turned a great number Of fields of seed
/ Dotat0es because Of the presence Of
/ black-leg.' Last fall we saw a fine
( fold Of n0tatOes-fine except that there
were here and there over the field
plants that had stems black and de-
caved lust above the ground Some Of
tho tubers from these plants decayed.
Tubers from the plants with less of the
infection did not show the disease at
all Seed from this field WAS planted
on many different farms I'm that county,
and he serd looked good. hut there is
now high percentage Of plants in
every one Of these fields that have well
devo ioued cases Of 'black-leg.
"Hhizoctonia and fusarium ARE both
also common The rhizoctOnia and to
n lesser extent the fusarium are alwoys
with us but we must not encourage
either of them by planting seed known
TO be infected with them. We also
have several other insidious and elu-
sive. though none the less dangerous
\ diseases showing up here and there in
our fields. The most common Of these
is the calico. causing plants to have
white matches on their leaves. 1t Is
I not fatal. but it does reduce the yield
/ of tubers of the plant--and we don't
want it. we find in many fields es-
ipecialIy of the Idaho Rural variety
2 many plants with small. weak stems
The lower leaves get rusty appear
. ance and fall off The plant continues
sicklv all season and makes less that
half a Weld The disease comes hack
/ the next year in greater numbers. We
don't want it.
Among the Gems this year we find
in many fields n great percentage Of
weak. dwarfed plants. Many growers
iattribute this to dry weather at plant
ing time. They are wrong. These
rlants traced back to the seed. show
many tubers that instead of sending
lout normal sprouts dcvelo0ed only
weak. spindly sprouts. the size OF n
darnins needle. This is spindly
sprout disease. We don't want it.
we might mention several others.
hut snace forlids What shall we DO :
There is a choice Of three things that
We can do. First. we can discard the
whole lot and get seed somewhere else.
though we may not helm matters much.
as the other fellows seed NAV be equal
" bad. Second. we con dig ont and
DESTROY all tho plants in the field tHat
orc weak or diseased This is feasible
only where tho percentage Of bad
nlants is small. and it is not adv'sahl"
where the fall stage Of bloek-leg -
evident This method must no followed
where certification of seed is desired
and the work must he done thorongh'"
! Third. we may go into the field when
the plants are nearly mature. hut before
trcv are ripe o. frozen down. and after
( corefulIv examining the plants. select
those That are desirable and have -
cloan hin of health for onr next year y
seed
/ "This is The advisable method Ior lhe
overa re man for Improving or holdinS
his standard OF excellence for MS no
tato crop Fields that are pretty badly
mixed and that have lot of disease
usually have many good individual
plants. These may be taken out and