WAUPACA REPUBLICAN

November 5, 1914

 

POTATO BLIGHT AND ROT

Many Farmers Find Decay in Cellar or Pit -

Letter From Prof. Jones.

 

            Through the courtesy of The A.M. Penney Company we are able to publish a letter for warning and information from Prof. L.R. Jones of the College of Agriculture written to the A.M. Penney Company in answer to an inquiry as to the proper treatment of the affected tubers that are reported to be causing serious loss to growers. As our readers are vitally interested in stamping out the diseases we publish the letter of Prof. Jones in full:

Prof. Jones’ Letter

            Madison, Wis., Oct. 30, 1914.

            The A.M. Penney Company, Waupaca Wis.

            Gentlemen:  Yours of October 27 received together with sample of potatoes affected with dry rot.

            This is the Phytophthora or late blight fungus disease.  It starts, as you probably know, with the late blight upon the foliage and from this passes rapidly through the soil to the tubers.  It is a germ disease.  Most of the infection has already taken place when the tubers are dug.  Sometimes if the storage room is warm and moist, the germs continue to develop and spread in storage.  It is quite possible that that happened in the pit from which these were taken. If, however, the potatoes are properly dried off and kept in cool storage, there should be no serious new infection.  On the other hand, the rot following infection may, in such cases, be rather slow in developing.  Consequently it may be necessary to sort such potatoes more than twice in the first few weeks of storage.

            We are sending you with this copy of our potato disease poster which you may wish to put up in this connection, and upon the right hand corner of which you will find the illustrations corresponding to this late blight and rot.  We are also enclosing a copy of our pamphlet on potato diseases.  We shall soon have out a new addition of this last.

            An important point to impress upon growers is that this disease may live over in the tubers.  Hence they should be selecting seed for use next year with special reference to this getting it from fields as free as practicable.  If we can advise you at any time farther, please call upon up.

                                                Sincerely yours,

                                                            L.R. Jones, professor of Plant Pathology