524 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



Mr. AVilliain Garden, county horticultural commissioner of San Joa- 

 quin County, urged that clean seed planted in a clean soil in a moth- 

 free section would secure against eelworm and tuber moth. He re- 

 garded eelworm as much more harmful than the tuber moth. He had 

 known of the presence of the moth in the delta region for years, and 

 it is no more prevalent or destructive today than it was years ago. 

 We have shipped our potatoes to Oregon. Washington, Idaho, Colorado 

 and Texas all these years. Surely the danger is not great, if, as they 

 say, the growers of these states are not injured by the tuber moth 

 at'^the present time. Vigilance will eliminate these pests. Deep hill- 

 ing, sacking the tubers as soon as dry after being dug and leaving 

 no potatoes, either large or small, exposed in the fields is the sure 

 prevention of moth attack. Eelworm tubers are easily distinguished 

 and should never be used for seed. 



Mr. Eugene Grubb of Colorado, author of a valuable treatise on 

 potatoes, who has just returned from abroad, spoke entertainingly on 

 potato culture in Europe. There the potato is much more important 

 than here. It may almost be said to stand between the people and 

 famine. The growers in Europe insist on a long rotation as absolutely 

 necessary to keep the tubers free from disease. They invariably pre- 

 cede potatoes with grass, often ten years separating potato crops, 

 grass, grains and other vegetables filling out the rotation. The great 

 crops of potatoes in Europe are due to clean soil and selected seed, 

 which is sound and of choice varieties. Only immature seed is used 

 there and only whole potatoes are planted, as a cut surface invites 

 infection. Care is requisite to never bruise the tubers or sprouts. 

 Sprouting in especially prepared boxes, kept in special buildings, serves 

 a double purpose by hastening develoi)ment and giving less time for 

 attacks of fungous or bacterial pests. In Europe potatoes for seed 

 are usually grown by a specialist. W^e should follow this example in 

 America. Mr. Grubb stated that by adopting in full the methods now 

 practiced in Europe it would be possible not only to double, even 

 triple, our yield of potatoes but also would lessen the time of growth 

 and development by at least fifty days, clearly to our advantage. 



The session closed Avith a most interesting talk by Mrs. Hilda B. 

 Nielson, of Sebastopol. whose husband is a very successful potato 

 grower in Sonoma County. ^Irs. Nielson is as good an authority on 

 potato growing as on making jellies, in which work she has gained a 

 wide reputation. She and her husband have evidently made a very 

 thorough study of the whole potato question, and as a result are said 

 to have produced potatoes of exceptional excellence. 



The discussion at this meeting proves that there is great interest 

 in the subject in many parts of the state. Reports of yields in Orange 

 County would seem to show that in that region at least, potatoes are 

 not suffering seriously from any handicap. — A. J. C. 



Winter Pruning of the Grape. — The subject of vine pruning is an 

 important one to every grape producer. Bulletins 241 and 246, by 

 Prof. Frederic T. Bioletti. lately published by the California Experi- 

 ment Station, treat of vine pruning in California, and are important 

 additions to our none too large supply of horticultural knowledge. 



