April, 1922. 



SCIEXTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 



249 



Seed Potato Inspection and Certification in British 



Columbia. 



By C. Tice, Potato Specialist Department of Agriculture, Victoria, B.C. 



During recent years the potato crop has' 

 been receiving greater attention at the 

 hands of specialists than ever before. Low 

 3'ields due to poor seed have been the chief 

 reason accounting for the interest now 

 being taken. It is recognized by all who 

 have considered the subject closely that 

 seed potatoes should carry as little di- 

 sease as possible. Unfortunately, the 

 potato is affected by a great variety of 

 diseases. 



The discovery- of such diseases as leaf 

 roll and mosaic have proven that the yield' 

 is considerably reduced Avherever they ex- 

 ist. Since these diseases can only be de- 

 tected in the growing crop it is essential 

 in order to obtain the very best potatoes 

 for seed purposes to inspect the crop dur- 

 ing the growing season as well as after 

 harvest. 



History of Seed Potato Certification. 



Seed potato inspection and certification 

 have been carried on both in Europe and 

 the United States for some years. Records 

 show the system was introduced into Can- 

 ada in 1915, in the provinces of Ncav 

 Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, by 

 the Division of Botany of the Federal De- 

 partment of Agriculture. This work has 

 been gradually extended each j'ear with 

 the result that in 1921 a seed potato in- 

 spection service had been established in all 

 the provinces of Canada. 



The potato growers of the Province of 

 British Columbia first received the bene- 

 fit of seed potato inspection and certifi- 

 cation in the summer of 1921 when the 

 work was introduced by the Provincial 

 Department of Agriculture. The system 

 of inspection which has been adopted here 

 is similar to that being carried on in other 

 parts of Canada and throughout the Unit- 

 ed States. 



Number of Inspections. 



The number of inspections made both in 

 the growing crop and after harvest varies 

 in different parts of America. In some 



places one field and one tuber inspection 

 are made. In other places two field and 

 two tuber inspections are made and in 

 others two field and one tuber inspection 

 are carried on. 



In the Province of British Columbia two 

 field and two tuber inspections have been 

 adopted. The reason for making two field 

 inspections is because diseases develop at 

 various times throughout the growing sea- 

 son, and therefore the possibility of over- 

 looking any disease is less likel.v than 

 where only one field inspection is car- 

 ried on. Furthermore, it allows the grower, 

 who has a limited amount of disease in 

 his crop at the first field inspection to 

 rogue and thereby reduce the percentage 

 of disease. 



Crops which are apparently free from 

 disease in the growing season but lack 

 vigour are always rejected for seed pur- 

 poses. 



Two tuber inspections are made because 

 it is a well known fact that if the best 

 results are to be obtained from seed cer- 

 tification work thoroughness is of the great- 

 est importance at all times. The exper- 

 ience of other provinces and states reveals 

 the fact that many difficulties arise where 

 only one tuber inspection is adopted. 



The first tuber inspection is made be- 

 fore the crop is graded. The object of 

 this inspection is (1) to ascertain whe- 

 ther the crop is sufficiently free from di- 

 sease and true to type to warrant the 

 grower grading, or, in other words, to 

 avoid unnecessary labour and expense to 

 the grower and (2) to show the grower how 

 to grade. ' 



The second tuber inspection is made at 

 shipping time to ascertain whether any 

 storage diseases have developed or frost 

 injuries occurred; also to find out if 

 grading regulations have been strictly ob- 

 served. 



Standards for Inspection. 



Realizing that it is a practical impos- 

 sibility to produce large quantities of 



