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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1914)
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION Diseases of Potatoes By H. L. Sees, Plant Pathologist of the State College of Wash ington. READ EVERY WORD!! rrE disease known as black leg was apparently rather prevalent last year in Western Washington, as it fa also in the East. This disease is quite serious at times and apparently came to this country from Europe. Symptoms This disease is character ised by the black, shriveled condition of the stem from the seed piece to as much as several inches above the ground in some cases. This is accompanied by wilting and dying of the tops, usually lather early in the season. The tubers Attached to the affected stems are usually rotted at the stem end if tho stem is attacked before the tubers are formed. Cause This disease is caused by bac teria and in Maine where it has been studied it does not live over in the soil. Whether the climanc conditions in Western Washington make this possible is not known. It does not spread from one plant to another and the only meth od by which it is known to be spread is by planting diseased tubers. ' Spraying Is of No Value. Control and Prevention Spraying is of no valne at any time. Since it is only known to spread by planting diseased seed, and since it does not spread from hill to hill, only the plants from dis eased seed will bo affected. To abso lutely control this diseaso plant only dean seed. The method for determining this is as fellows: In cutting tubers al ways make the first cut through the tern end directly through the stem. If any dark, discolored aroas show any place in the tuber, especially at the stem end, no matter how slight, discard it Extra knives and a jar of 4 or 5 per cent formaldehyde solution should be provided and if by chanco a diseased tnbor is cut. put the knife into the formaldehyde solution and use another knife for the next potato cut. The seed should not be cut until immedi ately before planting and should not be allowed to stand around in the field for any length of time. Silver Scurf Disease. A new disease of potatoes which was brought to the writer's attention last tall by Dr. Wollenwcber of the IT. S. Department of Agriculture is the silver eurf disease of potato, known in Surope since 1871, but only in the Unit ad States for a short time. This disease, though little known, is apparently be coming widespread in the States and ertainly gives indications of shortly af fecting nearly the whole of tho potato crop. This has never been reported be fore from Washington nor, to the writ er's knowledge, from the Pacific Coast, mod seems to be a new disease to this region. However, its presence in Wash ington and the circuautances connected with it indicate that it has been pres ent here for several years. A disfigura tion and an abnormal shrinkage causes the losses sustained as a result of the attack of the silver scurf. Only Affects the Tubers. Symptoms This disease doeB not af fect the vines, only the tubers. In the early stage of infection under moist conditions dark green or almost black spots appear on the surface of the tuber. Later these spots nay enlarge and cover the whole surfsee of the potato. When dug tho affected areas may be circular spots or many may have Coalesced, forming one large one, and, ns stated, may cover the whole tuber. The affoeted areas are spotted with fine black points, and may bo dis colored. At this time a silvery sheen or glistening appearance is apparent and by those two latter characteristics the disease can be easily recognized. As the skin of tho tuber in case of severe in- fetcions usually the whole tuber will be- !omo shrunken and shriveled. Some va rieties are badly discolored such as the Leo, Gold Coin, Superlative, others show medium or slight discoloration such as Early Bird, Puritan, Early Acme, Early Kockford and Irish Cobbler. Cause This disease is caused by a parasitic fungus capable of infecting the tuber at any point. Whether this disease, lives over in the soil; how it affects germination, and other questions arising are still open and not settled. Concerning the Fungus. Control and Prevention One thing is known concerning this fungus, however, and that is that the fngus which lives over in the tubers in the sclerotia is not killed by seed treatment. For the presont then a careful examination should be made and no affected tuber used for seed. Although at present this disease does not seem o be very preva lent this is probably bp cause it lias not yet been refogniswd by tho growers. Be cause of its possible seriousness careful and painstaking selection is urged. Out of 76 varieties grown on the Western Washington Experiment Sta tion farm in 1913, 50-60 per cent were more or less affected, some seriously. The seed of these varieties were all treated for scab and that the prevalence of the silver scurf disease was not due to ineffective or improper treatment is shown by the absence of potato scab on the tubers dug at the end of the season. Part, of the seed which pro duced affected potatoes was obtained from the East and part was obtained from strains which had been grown on the station farm for Beveral years. This further indicates the necessity for plant ing only clean seed. The Potato Starch Question Should Be Ful Investigated as It Is Believed the Industry Would Prove Profitable. THE value of the potato for manu facturing purposes, particularly for the production of starch and glu eose, is one that should be fully investi gated, as it is believed such aa industry would not only be profitable in itself nder Northwestern conditions, but would offer a most valuable outlet for the culls, which are now largely wasted by tho Oregon and Washington farmer, nd, even more important, would in tnre a steadier market for the crop ach year, regardless of fluctuations in iupply and demand for table consump tion. In other words, to those favorable Masons when a very heavy crop was produced and the market price was low, or in the seasons when a large portion of the potatoes were culls or not stiffi nimit.lv matured to sell well for tabic use, the starch factory would furnish a profitable outlet for the crop, un the other hand, growers who do not am to meet 'he reouiremontB for pro ducing marketable table potatoes, could ;sn the later maturing and heavier yielding varieties sololy for sale to the etarch factory. Even more important than this, would be the fact that potato rowing sections of Oreson and Wash ington which are now distant .'rem the market and must oar a heavy trans portation charge on their shipments, eould convert all bat the very choicest of their crop into starch in local green starch factories, shipping the green starch to a central refinery, thus re dueing transportation charges on the crop as well as securing a profit from the culls. The starch used in the Northwest, all of which is shipped in from the cen tral states and thus is a tax npon the consumer, might with profit both to the manufacturer and the fnrmer, be produced here in Oregon and "Vashing- ton. The Northwest market alono would moro than consume nil of the starch that a large factory, with its tributary croon starch plants, could produce. Ex perts have estimated that such a lac- tory hero could carry on a profit able business and pay the farmer 50 cents a hundred for all of the potatoes he could produce. This price would give the farmer nn excelleut profit on all of his cull potatoes and a very good profit upon the entire crop if raised for starch manufacture alone. It would also in sure a more stablo market for table po tatoes, as well as a higher grado of the same, thus increasing tho shipments to other states. Further, such an industry would bring a superior starch to the consumer, as potato starch is of much higher food value, because of its groater digestibility, than the corn starch now used. Mr. Rancher! Mr. Merchant! Mr. Cattle Man! Mr. Hop Grower! Mr. Fruit Grower! Do you protect the amount of Dollars on your Bank Checks against the CHECK RAISEE? Do you know that American Bank records show losses through bad chesk men of $500,000 in 1900, $5,000,000 wuo, $15,000,000 in 1911 and tho awful total of $23,000,000 in WHO! will be called on to stand this enormous yearly loss? The Farmer! Yes, because most city business men now use Check Protection. WHY do you, at a yearly expense, protect your farm building, crops and slock against loss Dy fire, storm and disease, YET! neglect to protect the total cash receipts of all your hard work, your Bank account. 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