nOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
potato growers' associations, the state
experiment ctations and the United
States Department of Agriculture rath
As early as possible provide a lamb
creep in each pasture, and give each
day all the grain the lambs will cat up
clean.
How To Grow Good Seed Potatoes
er than through legal enactment
OF the many causes which operate
to produce s low average potato
yield in this country, poor seed is
very important one. The American
potato grower pays too little attention:
to his seed potatoes. The European
gTowers, especially those of Great Bri
tain and Germany pay very, strict at
tention to the quality and quantity of
the seed they use. This has led to a
differentiation of the potato industry
into seed and crop specialists. The seed
specialist makes a business of produc
ing high quality seed, while the crop
specialist produces a high grade table
potato. No such differentiation, at least
to the same extent, occurs in this coun
try. It is true that in certain sections
we now have a well developed seed
potato growing industry, but compara
tively few growers in these sections
are paying sufficient attention to the
elimination of diseased and unproduct
ive strains or to keeping the variety
grown free-from mixture with other va
rieties. It is believed, however, that
the time is. ripe for demanding a bettor
grade of seed potatoes than is now gen
erally obtained from either seedsmen or
growrrs. .
A Vital Question.
The question of what constitute good
seed is a vital one. Pure seed from
productive j-Iants not over ripe, uni
form in size and shapa, firm and sound,
with first sprouts just showing at plant
ine time. Seed of such mialitr, if fur
nished suitable cultural conditions, will
seldom fnil to produce- a remunerative
crop. A const rvativo estimate of the
increase that might be expected from
the use of high-grade seeds is certainly
net loss than 10 per cent.
Comparatively little attention has as
yet been given to the subject of the
productiveness or unproductiveness of
eertain strains of plants within a va
riety. It is believed that this is a very
important factor in the production of
large yields, as in any variety, if
tudicd closely, many unproductive
plants may be found.
Tho superiority of immature over
mature tubers for seed purposes is not
as yet recognized by the American po
tato grower. The European growers, on
the other hand, have king reolizod that,
Other tilings being equal, larger crops
can be produced from immature seed
than from mature seed.
Experiments in England.
Results of experiments conducted in
England show a gain in favor of im
mature seed of more than 100 per cent
lor table Block.
Uniformity of size and shape is
quality which should receive more
thought, and strains of potatoes giving
the greatest yield of fair-sized, shapely
tubers should be cultivated. It is par
ticularly important at present that such
strains be developed, because there is
an increasing demand for fancy table
stock to satisfy tho requirements of a
large and discriminating class of con
sumers who are insisting on greater uni
formity in size and shape and are will
ing to pay more for sueb potatoes.
The- simplest and surest means of
developing high grade seed potatoes is
that of the tuber-unit and hill-selection
methods. The tuber-unit method con
sists in selecting from the seed bin a
number of the most perfectly shaped
tubers of from six to eight ounces in
weight. When planted these are quar
tered, as dropped, into four equal parts.
This is done by splitting the bud-eye
cluster in each direction from seed to
stem out. In other words, the tuber is
cut lengthwise;
Should Be Rejected.
All tubers shewing discoloration of
the flesh or other evidence of disease
should be rejected. Plant the four
pieces of each tuber consecutively in a
row at a. distance of from 10 to 12
inches apart in the furrow. By allow
ing, more space between set of four
pieces, each tuber is isolated from ad
joining ones and the grower can readi
ly observo any variation in vigor and
uniformity between the various units
planted. By marking those which are
most uniform in size, vigor and type
when the plants are growing, tho first
itep in selection lias been accomplished.
At digging time the product of each
unit is separately harvested and a fur
ther selection made from those which
most nearly approach the size, shape
ajid smoothness desired. Only the" pro
duct of the most desired units should be
retained for the following season.
Hill Selection Method.
The further conduct of the work will
consist in the multiplication of the se
lected strains for field planting and
the elimination of weak plants. The
hill-selection method consists in market
ing the most promising plants during
tke growing season and at harvest time
save only those wtiich gave greatest
promise. Plant on the tuber-nnit basis
the following season.
As to tle advisability of planting
small tubers, a great number of tests
in various parts of the country show
that the use of large- tubers gave a
production of over 18 times as great a
weight of large tubers as- the small
tubers produced. The use of small seed
potatoes is only permissible when they
are known fo have boon produced by
strong, healthy and productive plants-.
.It is never advisable to use small seed
tubers from the general mass of un-
'selected' stock. Like produces like. If
tubers from unproductive or weak
plants are used a similar harvest, will
be reaped.
Potatoes In Europe and America
AMERICAN progress in the develop
ment of improved varieties of po
tatoes has not been satisfactory
ts compared with the progress of lead
Big European countries, is the statement
f tlia bureau of plant industry of -the
Department of Agriculture.
The best European- varieties possess
a- better flavor, color and texture par
ticularly for boiling and frying, but
these do not succeed when introduced
into the United States. If private grow
ers would engage in this work as they
lave- ia Great Britain, Germany and
Austria, thpy would find it a fasci
nating industry and would undoubtedly
make notable achievements.
In America we have much to accom
plish ia breeding a potato with a
greater, starch content. Our potatoes
are now lower than the German va
rictiei by from 4 to 8 per cent.
Our climatic- conditions in America
are so diverse that we need varieties
tt potatoes adapted to special local
ities. Particularly do we need a heat
lesistnnt strain that can more suc
cessfully withstand the high summer
temperatures. Disease resistance is an
ether quality that has been bred into
eertain foreign sorts, but is so lack
ing in ours that we have to quaran
tine absolutely certain foreign types
that might bring disease with them.
The breeding of potatoes for differ
ent kinds of cooking might even be
found profitable. A variety specially
suited for baking is needed, another
for frying; a close textured tuber is irj
some demand for salads. The house
wife today finds it necessary to waste
much good material in preparing her
potatoes for the table, particularly the
irregular, deep eyed sorts.
Tho use of commercial fertilizers nnir
versal in Germany is unknown in our
western- potato districts. Certain of
onr districts in Maine, New York and
the Atlantic trucking belt have al
Toady found it to their profit to use
more fertilizer, and potato growing is
most prosperous in these sections. This
should become moro universal.
Crop rotation is of fundamental im
portance to the potato crop in con
trolling diseases and maintaining pro
duction, but in the United States only
the beginning of an ordered system
has been made. Germany has a rota
tion of from three to seven years be
tween potato crops. Nor has the im
portance of green manuring yet been
fully appreciated in this country.
Tho problem of securing disease free
seed has been met in Germany by an
official inspection, which results in
certificates being issued only to own
ers of disease free crops. Such a plan
for the United States would be better
if carried out by the co-operation of
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