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About Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 1958)
SUNDAY, JUNE IS, 1958 HERALD AND NEWS, KtAMATH FALLS-, OREGON- PAtfE1 FIVE Potato . . . (Continued from Page 3) qulrements totaled another 19. million hundredweight (eight per cent). Estimates of potato utilization in 1956 are divided among: fresh stock sales, 55 per cent; sales for chips, 12 per cent; sales for french fries, two per cent; all other food processing, three per cent; seed use, eight per cent; food use on farms, five per cent. Diversion to starch and livestock feed 16 per cent. Marketing the Basin's Crop In Klamath Basin, diversion to livestock feed included 1,239 cars (448,000 hundredweight) of pota toes of U.S. 2 or better grade and over two inches in diameter. Mixed with this was a greater quantity of culls and smaller sizes Shipments for table stock and seed totaled 8,558 cars (3,080,480 hun dredweight). Diversion to livestock feed was over 25 per cent of the field run production. Except for government diversion payments, growers received little or no return for many of the culled potatoes taken by stock feeders. Diversion payments to taled $l83,b64, an average of about 40 cents per hundredweight for eli gible potatoes and less than 20 cents per hundredweight when av eraged over the entire tonage culled. The livestock feed outlet might bring returns near to those obtain able from starch manufacture if it were possible to sell culls at near their feed value. A cooperative starch plant probably could pay more for culls than feeders can. Heavy stocks of cull out and lack of competition for the supply re sulted in poor returns or no returns tor growers. Potato feed ing also reduced outlets for hay and grain. Diversion ot such a high per centage of production at returns below cost of handling and stor age and no return for harvesting and production costs points to need for a more remunerative outlet and suggests starch manufacture, nossib v combined with a gran ule or flake processing plant, as a solution. A volume ot over one mil lion hundredweight of cull out available over an eight month ship ping season is considered an ade quate supply to justify a proces sing plant. Processed products such as granules for instant mashed pota- ' toes and frozen items are compet- inu with fresh stock at least in institutional trade. As availability of processed potatoes increases a smaller percentage of production . is likely to be sold as fresh stock. Carryover ot storable Processed products from one season to an nther can also be expected to re duce occurrences of periodic short- bbk and reduce oossibility of peri odically higher prices. Profits in potato production may largely depend on high yields of quality potatoes. Competition among producers and production areas can be ex noriod to maintain a high aver aee level of supplies which com bined with consumer insistence on quality packs is likely to require continued marketing agreement size regulation at two inch mini mum diameter or aDove. Snntnmher and October ship ments from Washington and Cen tral Oregon compete vigorously during those months. Competition from California winter dug pota toes appears to be increasing. Acreage, yield, shipment and in rnmn statistics for potatoes printed elsewhere in this report show we have marketed a high of Ufili anrt low of 7.763 carloads of table stock and seed since 1950. whiio riKK certified seed has ac counted for about 15-18 per cent of annual shipments. The Basin has marketed a high of about 9,700 and a low ot about 7.000 cars of table stock during that period, tnd apparently has a market largely in the Bay Area and Northern California which can take around 8.500 cars of quality table stock in years of average competition. Ti iniwan lh.il the Basin has a market for around 18,000 acres of seed and table stock and that po tatoes can be profitably grown on the soils capable of producing nis" viiiMa nnrl onnii nualitv. Best re sults with russets can be expected from the well leveled, well drained lighter textured soils not seriously infested with wilt and in which fertility is properly maintained by rotations with legumes. The certified seed market for which the White Rose variety is grown appears adequate for pro duction of somewhere around 3,500 acres provided high quality seed is produced. Loose lake bottom peat and muck soils grow this variety well. The county is well suited to pro duction of vigorous seed of good quality. Control of virus diseases offers the best opportunity for re taining the White Rose seed busi ness and of developing additional certified seed business with Netted Gems and other varieties including Kennebec which is in demand as seed stock for chip contracts. Production for chip manufacture would involve temperature control in storage and use of sprout inhibi tors. Until recent years, Klamath County had produced the larger proportion of the potato crop. In recent years, increased production in the Tuleiake area has resulted in nearly as much production out side of the county. Disease - Problems Recognition of Verticillium wilt as the cause of early maturity disease and the small sizes and reduced yields it causes definite ly classes this soil borne fungus as the major potato production problem. . it is recommended that Exten sion Service and Experiement Sta tion efforts to find solutions be continued, and speeded up if pos sible. Destruction of vines and. the spores produced in them, soil fumi gation with Vapam or chloropicrin to destroy high spore populations in soil and rotations and high or ganic matter levels appear to of fer the best fields of investiga tion. Varieties with wilt resistance such as Menominee are another approach. Vapam and chloropicrin should be checked thoroughly for effec tiveness in controlling nemaioae economic loss In commercial crops in recent years largely because lots in which it has been found have generally been discarded im mediately for seed purposes. Disinfection of equipment and storage and use of clean bags are precautions against spread or in troduction. The 90-minute mercuric chloride dip for whole seed is a good preventive measure. Semesan Bel dip for cut seed also gives protection as does addition of the antibiotic terramycin to the Phy gen dip which is becoming In creasingly popular on cut seed be cause it permits an extended peri od of holding between cutting and planting. Agrimycin has been re ported to reduce incidence of blackleg also, probably because seed piece rot is reduced. The importance of adequate hu mus in potato land cannot be over-emphasized. Plant nutrients can be supplied by use of commercial fertilizers but the mechanical structure of the soil deteriorates as organic matter decreases. Poor root development occurs in such puddled soils. Irrigation is com plicated. A soil well supplied with humus takes water much better and holds water much better than a soil depleted of humus. Loose soil structure of soils well supplied with organic matter results in higher yields of smoother tubers of better type. Rotations It is thought that the practice of cropping potatoes two consecu tive years or longer in an alsikc clover, potato, grain rotation has depleted organic matter below op timum levels. A rotation of one year of grain and one or two years of clover may not maintain organic matter at high enough levels for satisfactory production when followed by two consecutive years of potatoes. In such a rotation, potatoes oc cupy the land 25 per cent and 40 per cent of the time when one potato crop and two consecutive potato crops are grown following two years of clover. When clover is grown only one year and only one year of potatoes occurs in the rotation, potatoes occupy the land one year out of three. With alfalfa rotations, potatoes occupy the land 28 per cent of (Continued on Page 6) Production of Potitt Chips. Dehydrated Potato Products and Frozen French-fried Potatoes 1940-1954 601 CD sz m 50 UJ 40 o E30 T3 CD in "20 o p Dehydrated Potato Products Total of A , i a wimmmMm,, M7J 7 vm Frozen French Fried Potatoes 1940 1950 1952 1954 1956 the rates required to control Verticillium. These materials might become practical on soils in fested with both pests, particular lv if nriops are reduced. Dowlume, uu, ana now, icium; have been proved effective nema licides. Telone needs to be checked out at lower rates than 25 gallons per acre to determine a minimum effective raie in mis mcu. i.pafrnll is a serious virus dis ease that continues to be a threat to aualitv. Good seed is the best assurance of producing russet crops reasonably free ot me nei nanrncie nr "internal browning cause bv current season infection (virus spread lrom lniecieu ui healthy plants). Seed carrying more than one per cent leairou in fection may produce crops with more than the five per cent U.S. No. 1 grade tolerance for internal defects. The seed certification program carried by the Extension Service, including greennouse uuub, provided adequate supplies of good seed for commercial plantings and is of primary importance to both commercial and seed growers, i w frni nf nematode infesta tion should continue to be used for certified seed production, parlicu-i-.ii, in nuilvins areas with less potato acreage concentration and better isolation. Unit planting, aphid control and early roguing arc ft, n, n-i"" mnic fnr enod seed production second only to use of good quality cooH fnr Diamine SIOCK. Effectivenss of several newer in secticides in control of aphids in potato seed fields has been dem airoiori Svstox sprays applied to young plants at two-pint rates (one-half lb. active material) per acre has given very effective aphid control into August, aim hh mntrnl measure. Dia zanone, Endrin and Dicldrin have enod control in extensive J for some of these control eenoral use rec ommendations impossible vMhout additional experience. Endrin at .h.t th. Der acre has been very effective, with ground appli cations. (Air applications at eight Ill 1 The bacterial disease, ring rot, in he a matter of con .... .n,,;rini strict sanitation on the part of seed producers. The disease nas causcu ui IN THE KLAMATH BASIN TRUCKS & PICK-UPS .Lead the Field! And . . . there's a rea son! Ford trucks and pick-ups cost letst First cost it low, re sale value is high, and Ford's famous Short- Mroke power means low operating costs. maintenance. A ten-million-truck r e s e a re h study proves Ford trucks last longer. The big fleets buy more Ford trucks than any other make! Let us show you all the "Cost Less" Advantages of Ford Trucks and Pick-Ups ... Call Us Now! BALSIGER MOTOR CO. Main at Esplanade Your Ford Dealer Since 1923 Phone TU 4-3121
