24 

Let Your Seed Potato Needs Be hnown 
by C. W. Clemmer 
Mr. Clemmer is in charge of Eastern 
States Seed Service. 
Everyone knows that seed pota- 
toes must be grown the year preced- 
ing their use for table stock produc- 
tion. It is also obvious that to have 
the varieties in the quantities desired, 
a suitable acreage of each kind must 
be planted in the spring of 1944 for 
use in 1945. It is already estimated 
that in 1945 Eastern States members 
will want their cooperative to pro- 
vide 600 or more carloads of six va- 
rieties of seed potatoes, but just how 
many of each no one knows until 
everybody concerned helps as best 
he can in estimating ahead. 
During the past several years the 
supply of Eastern States seed potatoes 
has been exhausted before the close of 
November, even though the acreage 
in its seed production has increased 
each year. In 1943 the increase in 
acreage was 30 percent more than the 
preceding year, but still, even with 
the largest yield on record, thousands 
of farmers will be deprived of Eastern 
States seed potatoes in 1944 because 
members did not help their coopera- 
tive estimate their needs far enough 
in advance to grow the kinds and 
amounts of seed required. 
As early as November, 1941, this 
shortcoming was recognized for the 
1942 table stock season and Eastern 
States directors urged management 
not to permit it to happen again. So 
in December, 1942, an allotment plan 
was presented to all Eastern States 
representatives, based upon their es- 
timated needs for 1944. Their appli- 
cations received by February 1, 1943, 
determined the acreage of seed grown 
last year and allotments were re- 
served, according to applications, 
subject to members’ orders received 
prior to November 30, 1943, for the 
1944 spring shipments. 
There were three serious limita- 
tions to this first allotment plan, all 
of which can be overcome in the fu- 
ture by proper exercise of responsibil- 
ity by the organization, the represent- 
atives and the members. 
(1) There was not sufficient stock 
seed of one variety available to plant 
the necessary acreage to provide the 
seed required by those representatives 
who failed to submit their applica- 
tions. The seed acreage will always 
be limited to the amount of tuber unit 
stock available but with adequate 
advance planning this limitation may 
be largely overcome. 
(2) The representatives who sub- 
mitted applications had previously 
distributed a little over half our total 
volume, but those who sent in no 
applications upset the apple-cart, 
because their members still expected 
them to provide Eastern States seed 
potatoes in 1944. However, their 
specific needs were unknown, except 
as past usage would suggest. But, 
with the increased acreage stimulated 
by the war effort, such past expe- 
