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Show ! Disinfect Seed Potato Pieces Old Standard Treatments Vith Bichloride of Mercury Mer-cury Still Best. In disinfecting potato seed pieces for the control of disease, the old standard treatments with bichloride of mercury or formaldehyde still prove best. Test New Mixture. This statement Is made by O. TV. Flint, extension plant disease specialist special-ist at the North Carolina State college, col-lege, who has been testing some of the new commercial mixtures placed on the market recently. Mr. Kant states that these new mixtures are still In the experimental stage. They have not yet been developed to where they are perfectly safe. Several growers have hud poor stands of potatoes po-tatoes resulting from the use of the mixtures. The new materials reijulre a shorter time for ti eating the seed pieces and this is important at planting plant-ing season, but If any of the material is allowed to collect on a seed piece in the form of a paste, as so often happens, injury will result. In tests made by the county agents of Wayne and Pamlico counties, Mr. Fant found that injury to germination germina-tion of t lie seed pieces was especially pronounced if any paste was allowed to collect. The new materials must be kept In suspension by constant stirring or a poor stand of potatoes will result. Mr. Fant made several photographs which showed a poor stand where potatoes were treated with the new materials as compared to the old, standard treatments with bichloride of mercury or formaldehyde. Treatment Necessary. In spite of this, however, Mr. Fant finds that potato growers realize that seed treatment Is necessary If disease Is not to be introduced Into the soil. More attention Is now being given to such seed treatment and better potatoes po-tatoes are being grown as a result. For the time being, however, growers had best use the old, time-tried disinfectants disin-fectants and leave the new mixtures alone until they have developed further. fur-ther. The saving in time may be offset off-set by the loss in stand of crop. |
