The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-08-12
INSPECTS POTATOES
FOR CERTIFICATION
EXTENSION MAN LOOKS OVER
CROPS IN NORTH IDAHO
COUNTIES

E. r. Bennett, field horticulturist in
the University of Idaho extension SER
vice spent Wednesday in the Moscow
vicinity, inspecting potato crops for
certification purposes. He is on an
extended trip through the Inland En-
pire section looking over the potato
fields.
While in the immediate neighbor-
hood Mr.. Bennett inspected some 20
fields He reports that the crops look
very good considering the year and
that potato growing for seed pur-
poses in recent venture in this sec
ton.
Thursday morning Mr.. Bennett,
County Agricultural Agent o. s.
Fletcher and e. l.. Kennard of the
Washburn and Wilson Seed company
left for trip through the Viola, Pal
ouse and Potlatch territories. From
there they will proceed to the Camas
Prarie country.
large percentage of the certifica-
tion work now being done by Mr.. Ben
nett is on acreages planted by farmers
who contracted with the Washburn &
Wilson Seed company last spring to
raise certified potatoes.
The Seed company let contracts COW
ering about 440 acres over the Inland
ELI pII It tIuSIS VI lHc OlSdI WdlSi
Lewis, Latah, Kootenai and other
counties of the section made contracts
with the company. The Washburn &
Wilson company have contracted
with Yakima farmers to deliver 700
tons of certified potatoes this fall
In addition to the potato contracts
the local seed firm let out contracts
to farmers for the crops on 1000 acres
or more of peas, 200 acres of garden
beans, and 100 acres of various var
ieties of corn. The contracts call far
the entire yields of these crops.
Mr.. Kennard of the Washburn e
Wilson Seed company has had entire
charge of the conracts from the firms
side and has devoted the greater part
of the summer looking after the work
In speaking of the value of grow
ing selected potatoes Mr.. Bennett stat
ed that ''every survey of even days
duration demonstrated beyond a doubt
the necessity of securing the best seed
stock available if it was the desire
to raise potatoes for certificatiOn.
'sOf the fields we visited Wednes-
day, the fact was plainly visible that
those crops which had been chosen
from carefully certified stock and
which had been tended properly were
by far superior to the crops grown
from seed selected at random.
''The survey disclosed anywhere
from twenty per cent and upwards of
diseased or weak plants in the fields
where no especial attempt had been
made to get the best seed while in
those fields which were planted from
certified stock the percentage of weak
and diseased plants was we'll below
fifteen per cent"
When asked what the requirments
for certification were. Mr.. Bennett re-
piled, "to certify potatoes it is necess-
ary to make a preliminary survey
about blossom time of the plants,
survey at harvest time and, to weigh
up the products of a hundred hills
and see if the production is up 20
standard
'sThe preliminary survey which we
are now making, must show the plants
in satisfactory condition both as to
health and conformity to the type OF
potato. If we find more than ter to
fifteen per cent of diseased plants or
a mixture of varieties we cannot give
any promise of certification.
"Then the plots must be carefully
rogued of all weak and diseased plants
Immediately in order that the potatoes
may be made free from disease and
inherited weaknesses
'sThe survey made at harvest time
is even stricter; there must not be
over five per cent of diseased or IN
ferior plants in the field A hundred
hills of potatoes are dug and the av-
erage weight per hill determined and
the hills must measure up to certain
specifications in weight, uniformity
and the like.
Potato growing is an exact science
and it is as often as hard to find
real grower of the tuber as it is to
get carefully selected seed. That is
one of the difficulties of improving
the grade of potatoes everywhere.
man must know potatoes and how to
plant and tend them from the planting
to the harvest if he wishes to grow
good seed stock.
s'As a whole, the potato crop in this
section looks very good. Tt is a new
venture here. l understand, and like
all new ventures it requires some time
for the farmers to become familiar
with the methods employed in rails
ing seed crops. But there is no rea-
son why with adequate care exercis-
ed in choosing seed and plots well
tended that potatoes cannot be made a.
stable crop and a profitable one
here"