Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-04-28
POTATOES To Be INSPECTED
At GREAT FALLS THIS FALL
Commissions C.. G.. Davis Advises Commercial
Club, State Has Adopted Some Grades as
Defined in Federal Standards.

Grades on Montana potatoes to be
identical with the federal standards,
have been adopted by the state depart
ment of agriculture, according to a re-
port made by Chester G. Davis, com
missioner, in response to a letter from
the Great Falls Commercial club. The
new grades were made under authority
recently placed in the agricultural de-
partment and were prepared this
spring in anticipation of a heavy po-
tatO crop. An inspector will be sta
toned at Great Falls, according to Mr..
Davis.
Plans for use of new testing machin-
cry and state wide inspection of pota-
toes are on the seasons program of
the commissioner.
Working on Proposition 8 Months
You see, Montana has never graded
or inspected potatoes" wrote Mr.. Da-
Wis. 1T is our intention to give this
service next season and We will have
an inspector stationed at Great Falls.
l think that your complainant had in
mind is the fact that no effort has ever
been made in the past to bring Mon
tana potatoes to any standard grade
and, as a result, we have been shipping
out a lot of culls and poorly graded
stock. In that he is entirely correct.
For eight months | have been in
correspondence with the standardized
ton division of the bureau of markets
at Washington, D. c., seeking to OBJ
tain a cooperative arrangement with
the federal government which would
make our state Inspection a little bit
easier to handle, but whether the
United States department comes
through or not, we intend to ave state
inspection this coming season and, Of
course, Montana will use the federal
grades as a base for our STANDARDIZED
ton, just as other states do"
The new Montana grades. while
based largely upon the federal stand
ards. may be changed slightly this fall
to meet the state conditions. according
to MI. Davis. The grades follow:
Grade Designations.
The Montana grades will be known
as Montana fancy, Montana grade No.
/, Montana grade No. >. and shall be
identical with United States grades of
similar name, and the shipper is given
the option of attaching either the Mon
tana or United States designation to
his product if it complies with the re-
quirement of the Montana potato.
Potatoes not meeting with the re-
OF tne foregoing grades
shall be graded and designated by de-
scription accurately setting forth quail
ity and condition.
Grade Requirements
The requirements of Montana grad
ed potatoes shall be as follows:
1. Montana fancy grade. This
grade shall consist of sound potatoes
of one variety which are mature
bright. smooth. well shaped, free from
dirt or other foreign matter, frost in
jury, sunburn. second growth. growth
cracks, cuts, scab, blight. soft rot, dry
rot, and damage caused by disease. in
sects or by mechanical or other means.
The range in size shall be stated in
terms of minimum and maximum diam
eter or weight following the grade
name, but in no case shall the diameter
be less than two inches.
In order to allow for variations Incl
dent to commercial grading and handl-
ing. ) per cent by weight of any lot
nay vary from the range in size stated.
and in addition, 3 per cent by weight
of any such lot may be below the re-
manning requirements of this grade:
but not more than one-third of such g
per cent: that is to say. not more than
] per cent by weight of the entire lot.