34^S AGRICULTURK OP MAINE. 



to think that this thing could be carried on indefinitely and 

 caused tliein to scoff at those who maintained that a day of 

 reckoning would come sometime. They also assumed that a 

 similar grade of seed would do in the south. I do not mean 

 that this was the attitude taken by the majority or even the 

 average of the potato growers, but it only takes a few delin- 

 quents to ruin the reputation of a community. Fortunately our 

 reputation is not yet ruined and the numbers who hold these 

 views are annually growing less. 



The greatest difficulty which we have encountered with the 

 growth of our seed business is that it has come about so rapidly 

 that it has been actually forced upon us, and neither the producer 

 nor the purchaser recognized any difference between table pota- 

 toes and seed stock. In fact, one of the greatest difficulties 

 which the Maine seed growers have had to overcome is the lack 

 of appreciation of extra selected stock on the part of the south- 

 ern purchaser in many instances, and his desire to buy only 

 where potatoes could be obtained the cheapest. 



This is not the place to enter into a discussion as to the merits 

 of the case or to decide who is to blame, but nevertheless the 

 southern planter has not always secured the results that he 

 should, possibly from the way in which he handled the seed after 

 it came into his hands. Regardless of the causes, our reputation 

 has suffered in consequence. It is our business in the future to 

 see that only the best of seed is used upon our farms or sold 

 for that purpose to go south. If we do that we have done all 

 that can be required of us. 



The pictures which I shall show are largely confined to potato 

 diseases which are carried by the seed tubers. It is important 

 and desirable that potato growers should learn to recognize as 

 many of these diseases as possible, but it is by no means abso- 

 lutely necessary. It does not take a very keen observer to 

 distinguish a normal or healthy potato plant or tuber from an 

 abnormal one. If only healthy tubers from healthy plants 

 are used for seed purposes, and as an extra precaution these 

 tubers are disinfected before planting, much of the danger of 

 the propagation and spread of destructive potato diseases would 

 be eliminated. This fact is well illustrated by tke introduction 

 of powdery scab. Regardless of whether or not common scab 

 exists in the soil, it is not regarded as good practice to add more 



