The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Disease Free Potatoes
Pee Dee Truckers Association
Arranges for Supply of Seed
Irish Potatoes for Farmers

Florence, Oct. 3l.-Thc Pee Dee
Truckers association has effected Il
connection in Maine whereby it will
be able to supply farmers in this
section with treble inspected and
state guaranteed Irish cobbler p0-
tato seed direct from the growers
at the additional cost only Of freight
G. NJ. White of Augusta, Maine. agent
in marketing, United States depart
inent of agriculture, is representing
the association in the producing field
while the association here will rep
resent the farmers who may wish to
procure any of the seed. No charge
for service will be made at either
end, nor will there be any profit be-
| tween the seller in Maine and the
buyer in South Carolina.
Potato seed buyers through the as
sociation are assured honest and
straight goods by the state Of Maine,
if they procure the certified stock.
| This opportunity is expected to be
a great boon to potato planters in
this section who desire the best
stock, but are not able to be per-
sonally on the ground and select it.
Also it will tend to give the Pee Dee
section n uniform variety ard crop
in it's Irish potato production.
Anyone wishing to procure seed,
should indicate their interest by
writing Walter J. Johnson, secretary
! OF the Pee Dee Truckers associa-
| ton, care of the Chamber of Com
| mercc, Florence, S. c., or seeing
them local representative of the as
sociation. Prices are not availab BILE
yet, but persons who are Interested
enough to inquire now, will be noti-
fled Immediately on receipt Of this
| information. They will then have the
| opportunity of taking what they
| want or if not coming in on an Or
der If the orders are taken to-
gether, they will be Jumped and nam
died as a carload purchase and ship
ment
Mr.. White has written to Mr.. John
son AS follows regarding the Maine
certified potato seed stock:
Two inspections are made, one at
the time of blossoming and one be-
fore the vines begin to ripen. The
third inspection is made when the
potatoes are sacked. and no pota-
toes are true certified seed unless
they bear the blue tag, issued by the
Maine department of agriculture,
which is enclosed. The field inspec-
tors do not merely give casual
looking over Of the price OF potatoes,
but they personally rogue out the
disease and weak hills under the fol-
lowing requirements:
IF at the first inspection there are
more than 500 weak or diseased hills,
or 80 hills OF blackleg. or $50 mixed
hills, the field will be disqualified.
On the second inspection more than
$50 weak hills, so mixed hills, and Is
blackleg hills will disqualify.
That this system Of inspection has
proven highly successful is demon
strated by the rest the past season
by Prof. NJ. o. Pence of Delaware, in
which Maine certified Irish cobblers
yielded at the rate of 522 bushels
per acre, as against the best seed
from other sources which yielded at
the rate of 81 bushels.
I'VE are prepared to place your
association in direct touch with grow
crs Of this grade of seed, or if you
wish a more moderate priced COM
modify, we can recommend reliable
growers whose stock is OF exception
al quality but not certified"