The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1920-02-04
Meeting at Court House Tues.
day Largely Attended
by Farmers
STATE INSPECTOR URGES
"SPUD" CERTIFICATION
Lantern Slides Show Various
Diseases Which Are Com
mon to Potatoes

Beltrami County Seed Potato
Growers met in first annual session
yesterday at the Beltrami court
house, and both the morning and
AFTERNOON sessions were we'll at
tended.
The morning session was called at
1890 o'clock. A. E. Rako, president,
in charge, and was confined almost
entirely to routine matters and gen.
eral discussion. The after-dinner
meeting was planned for 1880 o'clock
but was not called to order until
about o'clock. Following a few
remarks by President Rako, concern
ing his trip last fall to the potato
convention held at St. Paul, A. G.
Tolaas, potato inspector for the Min
nesota Board for Seed Potato Inspec-
tion and Certification, was intro
duced.
Potato Inspector Speaks.
Mr.. Tolaas explained in detail the
seed certitication system now in use
and the essentials in growing certi-
fed seed. Since only two inspections
are made of the crop before ready for
the market, and none are made at the
time the potatoes are sent to mar
ket, only the trusty farmers can be
allowed to raise seed for certifica-
ton. A few farmers in a communi-
ty can readily ruin the community's
market reputation by not abiding by
the rules for the proper grading Of
the seed before the shipment is made.
He stated that Minnesota is in a fine
position to raise seed potatoes and
that the prospects for a steady mar
ket outside of the state are very
promising, provided that the seed
does we'll in other parts.
Last year, only a few cars of pota-
toes were shipped out of the state
with clear certificate, some defect
such certificate in most cases. The
methods of inspection are the urgent
need Of immediate cooperation was
also fully explained by Mr. Tolaas,
who proved himself an able speaker.
Pictures Show Diseases.
With the aid of lantern slide views
he thoroughly explained the various
types of potato disease including Do-
tatO rot, common scab, powder scab,
blackleg, dry stem rot, wilt, brown
rot and mosaic, and in each case gave
the proper method for treatment.
Seevral views were also shown of
the experimental work being con-
Quoted at the University of Mime
sofa farm at St. Paul and the effects
OF various kinds of spraying.
Market Problems.
Hugh J. Hughes then spoke on the
problems of marketing the potato
crop and gave a detailed explanation
of the work accomplished at the
meeting of the Minnesota Potato Ex-
change, held at Little Falls on Jan
uary 26 and 27. This exchange has
been incorporated and has an excel
lent plan evolved for marketing
through local cooperative branches.
He also spoke Of the project which
is being proposed to deepen the chan
mel of the St. Lawrence river to a
depth of "a feet for a distance Of 40.
thus allowing the smaller sea-going
ships to come up the Great Lakes to
Duluth. In this manner, crops such
as wheat can be shipped to Liverpool,
the worlds wheat market, with no
extra charge for unloading and re-
loading, which forms large item in
the cost of sending by boat to Buffalo
and then across land to New York,
where it is reloaded into ships again.
The project is estimated to cost
this amount to be
shared by the Canadian and U. S.
governments. This proposed deepen
ing of the river would bring the At
lantic within few hundred miles
of Beltrami county and Mr.. Hughes
urged everyone to stand behind this
and help put it through
Many Questions Asked.
Following the talk by Mr. Hughes,
questions were asked freely and gen.
eral discussion was held. This was
one of the best meetings the associa-
tion has ever had and everyone who
attended received a large amount of
useful information from the speak
ers, as vel las from the Farmers In
Manual No. 80 potato Spe-
cial," Of which a copy was given to
all