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Show 10 POTATO DISEASE j IN IDAROID UTAH Railroad Officials Criticise Report Re-port That Government Will Investigate Idaho Crop. HARMFUL TO MARKETS Large, Healthy Yield Assured; One Grower Comes Close to Record. It Is claimed by officials of the Oregon Short Line railroad that a. great injustice injus-tice is being done to tha;stato of Idaho, and Incidentally to the ?tat of Utah, through publication throughout tho country coun-try of th? following dispatch, which -was received in this city yesterday over the wires of the Associated Press: "Washington, Sopt. 1". An Investigation Investiga-tion of potato diseases that have baffled farmers in the Irrigated regions of the we3t will be made soon In Idaho by the .department of agriculture." ). ID. Burlcy, general passenger agent of the Oregon Short Lino railroad, yesterday yes-terday gave the facts In this matter as he knows them, speaking a3 follows: Utah and Idaho arp practically fren from potato trouble of this character. It Is true that Colorado has been seriously seri-ously affected for the past three or four years and the potato crop this year may bo a partial failure. Nevada, Ne-vada, has also been troubled, but the diseases are of a dlffrcnt species from those encountered in Colorado. In Nevada the disease is known as the eel worm, which attacks the tubers and the roots o" the plant. The trouble has been very serloua In Iho affected districts, po much oo that the .',tatc of California has quarantined quaran-tined p.gainr.t importation of Xcvada po I a Iocs. No Law Protection. One great niena. e at present lies In the dancer f having these troubles iiil i nduced into Utah and Tdaho through the importation of infected seed potatoes. Unfortunately, neither L'tah nor Tdaho has today any law which will cmiblo us to quarantine against theso troubles, s However, tho potato crop In these two states this year Is going to be heavy, and the potatoes will be of a high grade In every respect. Take Tdaho, for Instance. This year, unless un-less the early cold weather shall affect af-fect tho crop through front, the state will have an unusually large product of healthy potatoes. On grower in the Twin Falls section will this year salhor S00 bushels to the acre, which Is clone lo North America's record on the aero product In potatoes. The record In this country is 87i bushels. Two years ago I offered a first prlr.e of ?500 for the best acreage product In potatoes In territory contiguous to th" Oregon Short Line, and this wan won In Idaho by a Twin Falls grower. grow-er. A potato raiser In Payette, Ida., won the second prlz: and tho product prod-uct of this year Is much better than thon, according to our official reports. President ICohler.of the Union Pacific Pa-cific railway has Just engaged the services ot Eugene 11. Grubb of Car-bondiilc. Car-bondiilc. Colo., a potato expert of national na-tional repute, to examine Into potato troubles In all tho territory of the Union Pacific. Professor Grubb will make minute and expert examination of conditions In all of these section, devising pluns for the elimination of disease and preventing Introuuciton of troubles from the outside, lie Ima ItiHtructlons from President Mohlt'r lo Kivc every nsslstancc possible to potato po-tato growers to Improve, their crops and lo maintain them at the holiest standard. 3!r. Grubb was commissioned som tlm,o aso by the department of agriculture agri-culture to Invostlcato potato culture In Kuropc. and his investigation extended ex-tended over England, Wales. Scotland, Scot-land, Ireland, France and Germany, lie is regarded " ono of the highi'St authorities in thla country on thl.s subject, and It la confidently felt that IiIb assistance will hrlntr tho potato growers of Colorado and Nevada out of their troubles and Improve the already al-ready hlcrh standard of potatoes In Utah and Idaho. |
