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Show jREAT LOSSES REPORTED fN pomo CROP Farmer's of Utah will loose in the i'Brigate over $1,1)00.000 as the suit of the loss caused to Vie potato :op of this stale by certain diseases, his is (he statement made by a party f scientists at the State AgricuiUrru ollege who have been studying the suits of certain diseases on this "ar's crop. A party consisting of 'resident J. A. Widtsoe, Dr. G. R. liil, Dr. Frank Harris, Dr. II. G. Peterson and Joseph Quinncy made tour of the Cache Valley farms re-cntly, re-cntly, where they found crop con-Itions con-Itions much as in other sections of he state. Fields, which under o nnal conditions would yield four hundred bushels, they say will not produce one fourth that quantity. Other fields will not return the seed ilanted last spring. Taking all into sonsideration, the scientists figure hat at least one half of the normal yield will be lost. :n 1913, according accord-ing to the year book of the department depart-ment of agriculture, Utah produc-3d produc-3d potato crop valued at $2,088,000. 'his year fully as much land has ieen planted to this crop. If, then s the college men say one half of :he crop will be lost, the farmers of Utah will lose over one million dol-ars. dol-ars. The cause of this loss is due largely large-ly to three diseases of the potato. Dry Rot, or Fusarium Wilt is the .vorst of these. It is commonly een in the dark rings found in the potato, which render the particular uber having it unfit for use as seed. Vnother symptom of this disease is :he brownish yellow streaks running h rough the stem. The appearance it the potato vine affected by this lisease differs somewhat on different soils but in all cases a part to all :he leaves turn brown and wither. The vines may die gradually or they nay wilt and dry up in three or four lays. Rizootonia (Rosette) is the 'isease shown by small black patches pn the tubers. In this disease the tems below the ground show a tracked brown mealy appearance on he outside above the ground on the stems, and are therfore unfit for jse. Blackleg is a bacterial disease ttacking the stem below the ground itting it and giving it an almost ilack color. In order to prevent the entire po-ato po-ato industry of the state being ruined, ruin-ed, it will be necessary for the farm-3rs farm-3rs to be careful in the selection of their seed, say the scientists. After electing the cleanest seed possible, he stem end of each tuber should be cut off. All tubers showing any dis-Voration dis-Voration in the potato should be discarded. To plant them would mean planting the disease and certain cer-tain ruination of the crop. After the selected seed is cut it should be oaked for two hours in a solution f; either one pint of formalin to thirty gallons of water, or one ounce f mercury bicloride to 15 gallons of water. Yet this is not all, these diseases !ve for three or four years in the soil. If seed thus treated and cared for were planted in the same soil resulting re-sulting would also be destroyed. rhiB is because the disease will regain re-gain in the soil for from one to five ears. Potato land once producing diseased tubers should not be used gain for that purpose until a period -of at least five years has elapsed. Clean potatoes oh clean land should be the rule. The college men say they can- not 'mpress upon the farmers of the state too strongly the danger they are running into in allowing hose diseases to get a start. They lay the old maxium about an ounce if prevention and a pound of cure should be applied and kept in mind in dealing with the case thus insur-ng insur-ng Utah a good exportation of potatoes po-tatoes instead of such an enormous loss. |