bin run versus fully certified seed potatoes

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not make it rain when we need it. Can we control the aphids? So far as we know here, there is no successful method in general use anywhere .

Some of our g rowers have controlled the aphids on cauliflower by cons tant sp ray ing wi th a solution of "Black Leaf 40." These were small plants, less than a foot high. I t is a very different proposi t ion to cover a tangled mass of po ta to vines.

BIN RUN V E R S U S F U L L Y C E R T I F I E D SEED

P O T A T O E S

J. Tucker

There was an in teres t ing e x p e r i m e n t tr ied out in a small w a y last fall by some nor thern seed g rowers in sh ipping a few car lots of seed as "bin run." The seed was to be f rom fields tha t passed both field inspect ions given bv the Division of Botany , O t t a w a , and was to be free f rom tuber "diseases except s l ight c o m m o n scab and rhizoctonia. The pota toes were to be taken as they came s t ra igh t f rom the bin all sizes f rom 2 ozs. up. T h e "bin run" seed was sold at $1.25 per 90 lb. sack (un tagged except for g rower ' s t ags) aga ins t $1.75 per 90 ll:.. sack for "Fu l ly Certified Ex t ra No. 1" t agged wi th the Division of Botany tag. T h e wr i te r has inter- viewed several of the men who had purchased this "bin run" seed this spr ing and nearly all of them were of the opinion tha t i t would be be t t e r to pay the extra 50 cents a bag for the "Fu l ly Certified" seed as the "Bin Run" contained too m a n y over sized, cut and bruised tubers as well as some frozen potatoes , etc. T h e y were not as good as the "Fu l ly Certified" seed. O the r s did not have any serious compla in ts to make but wanted some guaranr that the seed would be inspected before sh ipping [sy an official of the Depa r tmen t , to make sure tha t no th ing but seed tha t had passed field inspect ions went into the cars. M y personal opinion is tha t it is a dangerous pract ice to purchase seed pota toes as "bin run." For one th ing it is pract ical ly imposs ible for an in- sp~ector to pass a whole large bin of pota toes as be ing "free f rom disease except scab and rh izoctonia" as he can not see more than a small percen tage of them at tha t t ime. W h e r e a s with~the "Ful ly Certified" in Onta r io he usually opens one bag in five at the car door and has an oppor tun i ty to check up much more closely tha t w a y . There are several o ther r easons , too numerous to m e n - t ion here but very apparen t to the man who k n o w s pota toes and has seen what these "bin run" sh ipments contain. My advice to the purchase r is to pay the extra price and have the best obtainable.