In 1962, the P.E.I. Potato Marketing Board purchased near Alberton , as the site of the Elite Seed Potato Farm. The seed produced at this farm has improved the quality of P.E.I , potatoes by supplying virus-free stock. When Elite Seed stock became available to seed potato growers, three new classifications of seed potatoes, Elite I, Elite II and Elite III, were added to the previously existing foundation and certified seed classes. A rigorous inspection program by the Inspection Branch of the Canada Department of Agriculture insures that the high standards for these seed classifications are maintained. Seed potatoes remained in high demand throughout the 1960s. Sebagoes and Kennebecs replaced and as the two main varieties. In 1964. Sebagoes comprised almost 70°7o of the total seed potato acreage grown in the province. The total acreage in 1964 was around 40,000 including both seed and tablestock. With new potato harvesters and mechanization, the era of small acreages grown on the mixed farm was coming to an end. The cost of these harvesters demanded a sufficient acreage be grown to cover increased costs. The first harvesters in the Freetown area were one row, and were soon followed by two row harvesters. The task of planting seed was facilitated with electric potato-set cutters, four row planters, bulk seed and fertilizer loading escalators and 125 horsepower, air-conditioned, diesel powered tractors. In 1965, drought and an outbreak of ringrot hit the Freetown area. To combat the threat, Simmons & MacFarlane installed an irrigation system on a 75 acre field. The water was pumped from the Wilmot River by a Cockshutt 1600 farm tractor with a power take off pump. This was one of the few attempts to irrigate potatoes in a province where ample rainfall makes drought a rarity. A number of new potato warehouses were built in the Freetown area during the 1960s and 1970s. These warehouses allowed growers to store the larger acreages of potatoes being grown. Farmers erecting new facilities were Elwood Paynter , Edwin Lewis , Robert and Bobby Jardine (1967), Leeman Campbell , Walter Campbell , Robert Schurman , Wendall Bernard and Douglas Profitt, Sidney and Lowell Drummond, Simmons & MarFarlane Ltd ., Walter P. Stavert , Garth Toombs , Everett Reeves and Alvin Stetson . These warehouses were constructed of wood and insulated against frost. Large electric fans were installed to remove moisture and assure good air circulation. Oil fired space heaters were used mainly to heat these buildings and keep the potatoes at the optimum storage temperature. A small warehouse to hold about 60 acres in 1965 cost about $7,500.00. The same warehouse in 1983 will cost about $70,000.00. A large warehouse to hold about 200 acres in 1969 cost about $30,000.00. The same size in 1983 cost about $170,000.00. In most cases, the floors were made of poured concrete to simplify pick-up of the potatoes by potato fork or bucket. Potatoes were piled into the warehouse using electric bin pilers which transport the potatoes from the bulk box via chains and conveyor belts to the storage pile. Excess dirt was removed with a fork or shovel, powered either by hand or tractor. In recent years, a number of electric lift tractors were used to remove dirt or load potatoes onto a grader. Electric graders came into wide use during the late 1960's and a normal eighteen inch grader could handle one rail carload per day. These graders used chains, rollers and belts to remove dirt, size the potatoes according to the demand and allow the picking of culls or inferior quality potatoes. In the late 1960's potatoes were mainly shipped in 75 pound jute bags for the tablestock market, and in 110 pound jute bags for the seed market. The seconds or smalls were frequently retained for seed. The large potatoes or jumbos were shipped as the market demanded. Culls and some jumbos were sold for cattle or pig feed to local farmers. In recent years, tablestock potatoes were packaged in paper bags sized as 5, 10, 20, or 50 pounds and tied with a wire. In 1969, Lot 25 had the highest average farm income per improved acre in the province at $95.25. This can be attributed to the large potato acreage grown on this Lot and the suitability of the soil for potato growing. Unfortunately, the times were not to stay this good. The early 1970s were plagued by poor potato prices and growers struggled to make ends meet. The total acreage for the Island in the early seventies averaged around 42,000 with average yields ranging from 200 to 225 hundred-weight per acre. In 1974 the total acreage was 52,000 with a yield of 238 cwt per acre. The average price, however, was only $2.26 per hundred-weight. This gave a minimal return to the farmer. The main varieties in order were: Kennebec, Sebago, Netted Gem, Red Pontiac and Katadhin. The price improved in 1975 to a healthy $5.98 per cwt. By the mid-1970s new equipment and techniques continued to improve the potato industry. The potato windrower increased the speed of harvesting by depositing potatoes from two or more rows between two 53