The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-04-29

S it is by mel who take care of their
f potatoes by treatment, ETC., that the
development of high grade will be
accomplished. BY seed treatment
, the farmer eliminates about one-
third of his potato troubles. Here is
/, a method the value of which has
been demonstrated over and over
, again by years of careful trial and
experimenting.
Seed treatment consists essentially
in soaking seed tubers in a disinfect-
ant solution to rid the seed stock of
live germs of the sort that would
lead to disease in the crop. The first
treatment advocated was a corrosive
sublimate solution made by dissolv-
ing four ounces Of corrosive subli-
mate in 80 gallons of water and
soaking the tubers in this for one
and one half hours. With the dis
covery of formaldehyde as a disin-
fectant, this chemical after being
first recommended for grain treat
ment was used as a control agency
against potato scab. 1t Immediately
became popular, potato seed treat
ment was put in practice generally
throughout the United States.
Farmers have noticed that another
disease besides scab has been doing
damage to their crops. This disease
is known as Black Scurf. Every
farmer has seer the results of this
disease, even though he has not
known the name of it. In the aver
age field it is a common thing to see
rows with hills missing here and
there. Later in the season a weak,
laggard growth may come up in
these seeming blank spaces where
the mother tuber takes a second
growth where the first sprout was
killed. The blanks are caused by
the blackscurf fungus on the young
sprouts. These damp off" and the
potato has to start a new growth
from below the rotted portion.
Again the farmer has seen the
results of this fungus in the giant
hills that appear in the ields-great
green plants that one would fancy
would yield a peck of tubers. When
digging time comes, however, the
farmer is sadly disappointed to find
that these vines yield 20 Or 80 small
m%isshapen tubers, usually green
from being formed too close to the
surface of the ground. By the at
tack of this disease on the stem it !
has not completely cut off the shoot |
from the roots, but it has destroyed l
the green bark. It is this green bark :
that the food to be stored in the /
tuber is transferred from the leaves J.
and with the girdling of the stem the ;
normal tuber formation is impossi- ;
BILE. :
Another indication of this disease
is the small crumbs of dirt which :
cling to the tubers. This dirt" /
however, does not come off when |
they are washed. Each of these tu- !
bers has dangerous possibilities if !
used for seed.
Year in and year out potato scab /
makes from 10 to Is per cent of the /
potatoes u~nmarketable. Formalde-
hyde controls scab but it does not
control black scurf; corrosive sub
Innate controls both scab and black j
scurf. To the formaldehyde method,
therefore, must be added close sort
ng if potato disease control is to be l
made effective.
Corrosive sublimate is deadly poi
on and a little hard to dissolve I'M
hot water or a little vinegar is
lsed. Then, too, the solution must
'e handled in wooden or glass jars.
addition, corrosive sublimate los
s its strength as it is being used and
he solution needs to be %replenished
With poison. One lot of solution can
'e used four times-that is to dip
our batches-and then must be
1ade up fresh or else one of
orrosive sublimate should be added
fter each batch is dipped, to keep
p strength Of the solution.
The time taken for the Tornado
yde treatment is usually one half
our treatment for scab. This solu-
is made with one pint of formal
to 80 gallons of water. This
an be used over and over again and
oes not require replenishing to keep
p strength. 1t is best to treat whole
o~tatoes rather than those which
been cut, and over-exposure to
he chemical is not to be advised.
In cutting potatoes for seed, pieces
Mould be cut to about two-ounce
yes, and should contain two eyes.
ut potatoes are preferable to use
ather than whole ones.