The Delta independent., 1920-04-02

The use of cullS is never recommend
ed. 1t is simply an application of the
old breeding principle of like produce
} like" The stockman buys the best
, stock to breed from because he has
, learned the better the parents the
better the offspring.
: The very same rule applies to po-
tatoes, or for that matter to any crop.
Why are potatoes small? These are
: a number of causes but among the
most important are disease and her
edity. If we plant diseased seed the
resulting plants are liable to be di-
seased and weak, and will therefore
be unable to produce large tubers
Also since like tends to produce like,
We will get more small potatoes from
small seed than we will from average
sized or large seed A farmr cannot
afford to take chance. Good seed
is cheap, poor seed is expensive.
Bin selected seed is much better
than screenings and culls. Still it has
at least three very weak points. In
the first place the seed is usually Sc
lected in the spring after the best
individual tubers have been sold. If
selected from the bin in the fall it
would be better. In the second place,
it is impossible to tell by looking at a
tuber how many potatoes there were
in the hill from which it came. A
single hill may produce only one tub
er but that one tuber may be of very
good individuality. With bin selection
that tuber would be selected. When
planted it would tend to produce low
Welding hills Still another objection
that might be raised is that there
are a number of diseases that cannot
be seen except in the field during the
growing season. These diseases are
not visible in or on the tuber. 1t is
therefore evident that potatoes carry
ing these diseases might be selected
and planted The results of bin Sc
lection are often unsatisfactory.
third kind of potato seed is known
as certified seed. BY certified potato
seed we mean seed that has been in
spected by some competent person,
and has been found to be true to type
for that variety, and practically free
from disease. Certified seed should
be used for all paintings when seed
from seed plot cannot be obtained.
This is especially true when person
is starting a seed plot or where one
wishes to grow certified seed 1t is
not necessary ot plant certified seed
in order to grow certified seed
Neither is it true that if you plant
certified seed the seed produced will
pass certification All seed passes
upon its own merits. OF course. if a
grower plants certified seed the
chances are greater that his seed will
pass certification. Under given condi-
tons. certified seed will produce a
much larger and healthier crop than
ordinary seed. The best seed obtain
able is none too good. Why do you
not use scrub bulls? Many southern
potato growers buy northern certifie
seed every year. They have compar
! ed good and bad seed, and should
know Potato seed certification il
Colorado is in charge of the Horticu;
tural department, Agricultural College
Fort Collins. Colorado.
Perhaps the best seed obtainable is
grown by the seed plot and hill selec
4 tion method. Certification takes into
consideration only trueness of type
and freedom from disease. Very little
emphasis is placed on yield. The seed
plot places equal emphasis on ali
three points 1t is true. that of Civ
en- lot of potatoes those free from di
sease will yield heavier but diseas
free seed of high yielding strain viii
yield still heavier 1t is yield Will
quality that makes potato growing
profitable.
Hill selection is usually carried or
in connection with the seed plot
Briefly. hill selection in the saving OF
the best hills in the seed plot each
year. the tubers from these hills beins
used to plant the seed plot the neNr
year. The seed from the remainder
of the seed plot being used to plant
the main crop the following year Fol
example. a farmer might buy some
certified potato seed during the winte,
1 of 1920 In the spring of 1920 he woult
plant a seed plot with this seed. Dur
ing the summer of 1920 he woulG
stake the best hills in this seed plot
In the fall of 1920 these staked hills
\ would be dug and stored till the spring
of 1921, when they would be planted
in another seed plot. The balance o.
the 1920 seed plot would be used tt
plant the 1921 main crop. Each fal
there will be two kinds of seed. tha
from the staked hills which will be
used for the seed plot for the follow
ing year and that from the seed plot
other than the staked hills, which viii
| he used for the main crop the comins