272

A_'VIERICA.N POTATO JOL'RNAL

[Vol. 42

C L A U D E E. B O T K I N H O N O R E D I would like to nominate for honorary life membership in the Potato Association of America CLAUDE E. BOTKIN, Arvin, California. Claude was born June 15, 1961, at Ellington, Missouri and is one of a family of 7 children. In 1909, the family moved to Arizona where Claude attended grade and high school at Tempe, Arizona. In 1917 he entered the armed services in World W a r I. In 1923 he married Miss Sabrey Collins, an Arizona school teacher, and moved to California where he attended extension classes at U S C in mathematics, engineering, and economics. He began working for an oil company, and when the company went bankrupt in 1932 he began work for an engineering firm which took him to Kern County, California, where he observed tile Kern County farmers growing potatoes and cotton. H e decided in 1932 to become a farmer, and grow potatoes and cotton and has been at it ever since.

1965]

CLAUDE

BOTKIN

HONORED

273

In his thirst for knowledge about growing potatoes, he became a member of The Potato Association of America and has been a faithful member for many years. He has been a member of the Kern County Potato Association since its inception, in fact he was the temporary president of the Kern County Potato Association during is organizational period and was the first president of the Kern County Potato Association, which is now the California Potato Growers Association. He was a member of the Kern County Potato Pro-Rate Committee; member of the Society of Automotive t~ngineers; a member of the Commonwealth Club of California; and a member of the U S D A War-Food Labor Advisory Committee; a member of the U S D A Research and Marketing Act Potato Advisory Committee; and a member of the Potato Chip Institute International. He was one of the three original agitators to start the National Potato Utilization Conference. He planted the first Kennebec seed crop in Tehachapi in 1950 and from that time on has been supplying Kennebecs to seed growers and chippers. He has run many varietal trials with potatoes on his farm and has tested ahnost all of the more recently introduced varieties which might be of value to the potato chippers in cooperation with both private and public breeders. He has been planting about 200 numbered seedlings annually for evaluation and area adaptation. In 1953 he built and developed machinery to completely mechanize and bulk handle his potato operation. By the use of pallet boxes, fork lifts, harvesters, etc., he now has a completely mechanized potato industry. In 1954 he built a 160-car potato storage for chip potatoes with mechanically controlled temperature and humidity instruments. He has been one of the foremost advocates of developing information on handling and management of storage for higher quality seed and has been one of the outstanding members of the California potato industry. It is' with a great deal of admiration and respect that I nominate Claude E. Botkin for honorary life membership in The Potato Association of America. - - T o m E. Hankfns A B I B L I O G R A P H Y O F P O T A T O Q U A L I T Y - - by F. B. Johnston and N. W. Tape; Food Research Institute and J. G. Armstrong, Food Research Information Office; Research Branch, Canada Dep't. of Agriculture, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa. June 1965 Mimeo, paper back 170 p. This bibliography was compiled as an assistance to research on several aspects of potato quality which are of interest to the Research Branch of the Canada Department of Agriculture. Accordingly, publications are listed dealing with the measurement of quality, and with most of the factors that affect quality in fresh and processed potatoes. Attention has been given particularly to the period 1950 through !964, although a number of earlier publications are included. The references are arranged in alphabetical order by author, each has been assigned a number and a detailed subject is included. A limited nmnber of copies are available from Dr. Paul Sims, Director, Food Research Institute, Canada Department of Agriculture, Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Canada.