THE OREGON STATESMAN FARMING AND INDUSTRIAL MAGAZINE SECTION.
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SOME POTATO LORE
BY SPUD AUTHOHITY
Rotation Should Be Prac
ticed, Good Seed Very
Important, Etc.
Fll PRICES IN UNITED STlTESiE
BETTER THAN THEY WERE fl YEAR AGO
E
XPLAIN Mil
OF THE NEW PUTS
Tn preparing land and seed for
1 9 2 S planting of potatoes great
care should be taken to insure the
largest possible yield per acre, ac
cording to potato authorities of
the valley. It is common exper
ience that seasons of low price are
followed by seasons of medium
and higher prices. Willie this is
expected in Oregon in 1928. there
is also expected another large
crop of potatoes.
In planting the land should be
taken under consideration very
thoroughly. New ground, legume
sod. or land that otherwise is rich
and that has sot been in potatoes
or black cap raspberries for at
least four years is best. If the
legume sod is used this should be
plowed in the late fall or early
spring la order that the sod may
thoroughly decay before planting
time. This should be a shallow
plowing four to five inehes in
depth to be followed by a deep
plowing when conditions are right
previous to planting.
In using this sod land or ma
nured land it is important to in
corporate this organic matter well
with the soil that rotting may take
place well before planting. And
where potatoes are grown on pre
vious fy need land It is important
that an interval be had of at least
four years between potato crops.
to avoid infestations with diseases
carried in the soil, sneh as wilL
Another important factor in
raising the successful potato crp
U the selection of good seed, with
out it the farmer does not get the
return per acre or the quality he
is entitled to for the work and
money expended in raising the
crop. Growers expecting to raise
certified potatoes should get cer
tified seed -and keep the tags for
the eroD inspectors. Those who
desire merely choice seed for com-1
mercial purposes may secure
either certified or standard seed.
Treating the seed is an item In
preparation that is sadly neglected
in Oregon, as the average yields
show. One of the three methods
ordinarily used is that with or
ganic mercury, commercially
known as Semeran Bel, which is
effective in control of scab and
rhizoctonia.
The hot formaldehyde- treat
ment of potatoes 'is one of the
cheapest from the standpoint of
first cost, but tends to retard
1 sprouting to some extent and ap
parently reduces . the yield at
times.
If cost and results are to be
considered the corrosive subli
mate treatment consisting of 4
ounces to 30 gallons of water is
considered the best. This should
bo annlied before sprouting starts.
Applying corrosive sublimate to
nntntAM isrouted even a (Little
retards the germination and may
-reduce the stand, so the soaking
should, be reduced to one hour
when sprouting has just started.
The time for soaking in normal
eruditions is riven as one and one-
half hours. This time can bo cut
to 30 minutes where sprouting has
made considerable progress.
It is the general opinion that
more prompt germination is ob
tained with rather shallow plant
er. Rich land, good seed, and
proper treatment all made for
greater production per acre.
CCNT
200
l"5
150
J 25
J00
7i
FARM PRICES ANO WHOLESALE PRICES OF
1 4 Who Ptfctsof No.
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lOtS HIS 1917 1916 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 lJ2i 1926. 1927
This Is An Interesting Study
and Leads To Many Ben
efits and Surprises
WASHINGTON. Feb. IS CAP)
Despite the decline la prices of cot
ton and hozs 1923 onened wth a
higher composite farm price than
1927. In contrast, federal charts
show the wholesale price of non-
agricultural products lower than a
year ago.
At the wholesale markets agri
cultural prices in December aver
aged lower than in November,
and were responsible for a slight
decline in the general commodity
mice index, economists say. The
moderate price Increases on most
farm commodities have been off
set by the decline in cotton and
hogs. All commodities except
wheat, hay. potatoes, eggs and
chickens now are about last year's
prices.
Non-aeri cultural mices showed
declines in textile products and
building materials, with offsetting
advances in prices of fuel and
metals. Prospects for an improve
ment is said to depend on the ex
tent of recovery experienced by
the two major industries respon
sible largely for the 1927 recen
sion, the automobile and iron and
teel industries. Evidence of such
improvement is seen in the fact
that both production and orders
increased during the latter part of
December. While a seasonal rise
is anticipated in these two indus
tries, trade reports indicate that
some reduction In cotton mill ac
tivities Is to be expected.
With non-agricultural prices at
151 per cent of their pre-was
average, the decline in farm prices
from 139 In October to 137 in De
cember has reduced the relative
exchange value of composite unit
of farm products from" 92 to 91,
compared with 89 a year ago.
CALL FOR FLOWER
SEEDS INCREASES
The demand for flower seed
seems to be slowly but surely ov
ertaking the annual demand for
vegetable seeds and it is even more
necessary to order flower seeas
early than it is vegetables for the
stocks, particularly of new vari
eties, are smaller than me vege
table' supplies. The seed catalogues
are now at hand for study.
Get in seeds that need to be
tarted in seed boxes in the house
or in frames tor early bloom in
the garden. Depend upon varie
ties of known worth in your com
munity rather than placing depen
dence too largely upon noveiues.
New plants need considerable test
fnr as to their behavior in differ
ent locations before an opinion as
to tbtir real worth can be pro-
nnrnrcil. but every gardener
should try a few novelties each
year.
Ttnnroved strains of favorite old
plants should always be ordered
rather than from old timers, i ney
r alwavs superior to the older
types. This is particularly true of
xinnias. asters, sweet peas and oth
er standard annuals.
Consider balance when order
ing a certain number of seeds of
plants for cuttings, others for bed
ding, and still others for edging.
The factor of foliage effect should
be considered and a packet of cas
tor beans or other plants valued
for foliage effect should be in
cluded. Another factor to consid
er is fragrance. ' Provision for
some sweetly scented plant m ine
garden such as mignonette or
night scented stock should be
made.
Seed of annual poppies, lark
spurs and bachelors' buttons or
eentaureas may be sown outdoors
at the nresent time, allowing snow
and rain to carry them into the
oii and thev will germinate with
the first breath of spring and
give early bloom. These are the
three hardiest annuals in toe gar
den,
Get in a supply of sweet peas to
plant on St. Patrick's Day. This
has now become the standard date
for planting with successful sweet
pea growers.
When a heifer calf is raised for
future addition to the dairy herd
it is advisable to make friends
with her while she is young. Han
dle her kindly and teach her to
lead with a rope or halter. Get
her accustomed to a stanchion be
fore she freshens. A little atten
tion when the heifer is young will
make brr a gentle and tractable
cow.
(The National Garden Bureau j
has in its current bulletin an in-j
teresting article on "The Making j
of New Plants." as follows: J
Where do we get the new plants 1
that arc Offered by dealers each j
year? How is the interminable
procession of novelties kept up?
The making of new plants is1
one of the most fascinating de
velopments of modern science for
it is to scientific plant breeding
that we owe most of them. For-i
merly the chief source of supply
rested in plant explorers scour-.
Ing remote countries of the world
and sending back new species of;
plant Hfo that they discovered. As
the surface of the earth becomes
more carefully explored, this
source for new garden material di
minishes. Of late years the in
terior of China and Thibet have
yielded the greatest Quantities of
new plants. Of the plants listed
in commercial catalogues, the
primroses have, perhaps shown the
greatest number of auditions.
Specialists list a hundred or so
species and varieties, a large por
tion of them brought into cultiva
tion within the last 20 years.
New varieties occasionally ap
pear in plantations so distinct as
to warrant being regarded as dis
tinct species. These are known
as mutants, a term applied by the
Belgian scientist. Prof. Hugo De
Vries. who devised the famous
mutations theory to account for
the appearance of new species of
plants. There are continual slight
variations in plants and by culti
vating these slight variations
through several generations new
tvnes are often secured. The
Shirley poppy owed its origin to
a common red poppy showing a
faint line of white on the petals
Seed of this poppy was saved and
sown through several generations,
saving only those which showed in
creasing white until now we have
this race of pale-colored poppies.
This process is known as selec
tion.
Professor DeVries declared that
mutants were the result of dis
continuous variation, the change
coming at once and inexplicably.
Some of our beat new varieties
originate in this way. the dahlia-
flowered xinnia being an example,
according to some experts. The
zinnia with curled petals appeared
alone among a bed of thousands,
and was segregated and found tA
breed true. -
The discovery of Mendel's law of
heredity in 1865, which was not
developed and put into practical
application until some years later,
has placed plant breeding on a
scientific basis so that a breeder
may estimate with reasonable cer
tainty the resnlt of crosses that
be makes, knowing from Mendel's
law the proportion of plants he
will get from a cross which will
resemble each parent and those
which will show a mingling of tha
characteristics of both parents. '
When a desirable cross has been
secured the next step is to "true
up" that is. to inbreed it until
all or most all of its seedlings re
peat the desired qualities. This
is called line breeding. Selection
is a part of this process, that is
taking only seedlings of the best
form and color or possessing the
characteristics for which the
breeder seeks, and destroying all
others. This work takes a number
of years, In many cases, bnt when
the work is completed we have a
new race of plants for our gar
dens.
Only plants closely related win
croes successfully. When they are
remotely related they are known
as wide crosses and seedlings are
likely to produce monstrous forms
or. if desirable, to prove sterile,
that is, unable to form or produce
seed. Breeding progress, there
fore, stops. Such plants are known
as -mules"' from their similarity to
the domestic animal, which can
not reproduce itself by mating
with its kind. This is common
among the pinks, the old Dtanthus
Napoleon ITI being a mule pink.
It can be propagated only by cat
tings. But by far the greatest number
of new varieties of our new plants
and new strains of plants are tha
result of scientific hybridisation.
F. C. LUTZ NURSERY
We plan and plant (free of
charge), for homes, large or
small, all kinds or ornamental
shrub, perennials and rockery
plants. Landscape work.
1800 Market Sc. Pbose 1608-B
If ivory has become yellower
than desired place in the snn to
bleach.
Faded muslins or linens may be
bleached with chloride of lime -one
teaspoonful to one quart of
water.
Soaking game in salt water over
night takes out he strong flavor.
Sell Your Furs at Home
I Guarantee You More Money
and a Square Deal at
All Times
WEST SIDE FUR HOUSE
D. A. WHITE & SONS
Carry
DR. KORINEK'S
Veterinary Remedies
and Minerals
"BUTTERCUP"
When Yon Ask for Butter
Buttercup Butter is for sale at
every grocery store. Just say
"Buttercup" and you will get a
good high grade butter
Capital City
Cooperative Creamery
Phone 209
OIL-0-MATIC
. WHAT IS IT?
SEE
THEO. M. BARR
Phone 192
Oakland
Pontine
Sales and Serrfce
VICK BROS.
High Street at Trade
BRING IN
YOUR NEW WHEAT
And exchange it for hard wheat
patent flour, or any of our long
list of milling specialties. We
do custom grinding. We sap
ply what you need for what
you have.
CHERRY CITY MILLING CO.
i Salem, Oregon.
481 Trade St. Phone S18
CAPITAL CITY
BEDDING CO.
3030 Pacific Highway North
PHONE 19
Phone or Write We Will Call
First Class Renovating
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