The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-08-29
seed GROWING
COMING INDUSTRY
YAKIMA GROWERS INSPECT THE
FIELDS GROWN FOR WASHBURN
& WILSON SEED COMPANY

"There is no better place in the
world in which to grow seed potatoes
than in this district near the noun
tains, and l predict that this will
very shortly become one of your
profitable industries; an industry
that will increase in Importance from
year to year." said A. E. Lovett,
county agent of Yakima county and
formerly county agent leader in Colo
rado and Oregon, in Moscow Tues
day morning.
Mr.. Lovett, accompanied by George
B. Dash and Claude White, members
of the potato committee of the Yak
ina county farm bureau, spent Mon
day in and near Moscow, comforting
with Herman Wilson and F. L. Ken
nard, of the Washburn & Wilson Seed
company, and examining the potato
fields in this district, which are be-
ing grown by the local seed company
under contract and under supervision
of Mr.. Kennard, to supply seed for
the Yakima farm bureau.
Mr.. Lovett said:
''If the growers in Latah county
are careful not to allow the various
potato diseases to get a hold here,
there is nothing to prevent the de-
velopment of the seed potato industry
into one of great Importance. At the
present time your potatoes are more
disease free than any that I have seen
In any district. This condition can be
maintained Indefinitely if the farmer
is careful to keep his potatoes rogued,
that is to keep the diseased and weak
vines pulled up. i am more than
pleased with the condition that I find
here. The only thing is that your
hnay drxr 70
.duce the best results, but this con-
dition has existed all over the coun-
try this year."
Mr.. Dash, who is an extensive po-
tato grower in the Yakima valley and
chairman of the potato committee OF
the farm bureau, said:
There is no better place to grow
seed potatoes than in the high alti-
tudes around the mountains. Seed
from the high elevations always
does the best. We are unable to
grow potatoes from seed grown by
us, because of our low altitude. We
grow immense crops for the market,
but must import our seed each year
from the higher attitudes, in order to
keep down disease. All irrigated sec
tions must do this, so you can readily
see the possibilities for the industry,
especially in district 50 favorable as
this.
1--WE have contract with the
Washburn & Wilson Seed company to
deliver 700 tons of seed to us next
spring, and our inspection of the
crop at this time assures us that the
potatoes are clean and free from di-
sease. We use, in our district, about
1000 tons of seed potatoes annually,
SO you see the contract with your To-
cal firm this year is but starter.
Gin the past we have been compell-
ed to ship our seed from Minnesota.
In recent years their seed has become
polluted with disease and we have
been casting around for western
seed. The proposition advanced to
us by the Washburn & Wilson Seed
company to contract to grow for US
seed stocks certified by the state, and
at all times under supervision of
their Mr.. Kennard, seemed so logical
and practicable that we had no diff
Guilty in signing up the full quota. We
feel that we need not look to the mid
die west in the future. The large
acreage of summer fallow in your To-
cality should produce crop and we
not be to some extent at least used
for seed potato growing.
"The potato crop is big everywhere,
excepting on the coast, where the
weather has been extremely dry this
season. AS result, the price will
probably be low, and we will have to
look to the coast for our market, in
stead Of shipping east, as we have in
Che past"
The visitors were more than pleas
ed with the Palouse country, and see
in it, in addition to a great wheat
producing district, a country with
wonderful possibilities for seed pro-
ducing and for diversified farming
generally.