The Glenwood post., 1904-04-02
THEY ALL TALKED SPUDS
An Interesting Convention of
Potato Growers Held in
GIenwoOd Springs.

day when the farmers of Eagle, Pit
kin and Garfield counties assembled to
discuss questions relating to potato
growing. 1t was well attended and
will probably result in much good to
those interested in the potato indus
try. Through the courtesy of Mr..
Denison, the district court steno.
grapher, we are able to publish verba-
tim some of the important addresses
made on that occasion
Ernest Bliss, one of the largest and
most successful potato growers at
Greeley:
We find that our seed raised under
irrigation runs out very quickly-in
two years, and perhaps three with
some, is the most that it can be plant
ed with success. We assume it to be
due to the potato running out but
whether it is forced by irrigation and
the extra large growth so caused, or
whether our soil is diseased, we don't
know. Most of our farmers lay it to
the irrigation which may help on the
disease as it hardens the soil At the
low points where the ground gets
thoroughly soaked, there is danger of
the potatoes becoming diseased, show
scab or the vines die We use for
seed medium sized potatoes, prefer
ring for size one that will cut in four
pieces in planting with the Aspin-
wall planter. We use smaller and get
better stand from smaller seed. We
get the Divide product as it comes
from the ground not separated. We
are not sure but the green potatoes
picked before they are ripe make
better seed than the ripened potatoes;
it Is II question.
Those same potatoes taken from
near Greeley and planted above irr
CATION are nearly always smaller
They don't seem to do well taken
from irrigated land.
Mr. Stone was called on for speech
but said he had brought the exhibit
on the table to talk for him.
L came on my ranch eight years
ago and began raising those potatoes,
scab or fungus growth. l so ked
those potatoes in corrosive sublimate,
bi chloride of mercury, two ounces to
fifteen gallons of water, and for the
last two years l have sent those pota-
toes to market. There is little
fungus on those potatoes but not
enough to hurt them for market. |
raise potatoes to sell and the dealers,
like the railroads, want tonnage.
That is the reason l raise them
want the tonnage and get the pota-
to. That seed has been planted for
every year for eight years, as | said
before. l make the selection in this
way: l take potatoes not quite as
large as those but potato as large as
goose egg and pick my whole pile
over to select my seed; have now
probably two hundred sacks in the
cellar and out of that two hundred
sacks get my seed; plant about two
tons, the very best selection, not the
biggest or the smallest. For Seeding
potatoes l plant those with pink eyes,
thoroughbred potato. l don t
want potato with any prongs on or
any scab. For the balance of my crop
l plant small potatoes, pure to the
blood, and probably some of them
would go through ii two-inch screen.
don't like prongs; believe that like
produces like in the vegetable as we'll
rs animal kingdom. take the best
to plant; plant the larger pota toes for
seed
E. H. GRUBB
l have grown one variety of potato
for IL years. Every year it has i'm
proved and it started with the name
OF the improved or perfect Peach blow.
BY selection of seed, uniform in size
neither large nor small l have grown
hundred acres with scarcely large
potato in it-all in medium sized DO
tatoes, perfect market size and it has
never been done by anything brt selec
tion.
C. H. BLISS.
They have grown over ten thousand
acres in the Greeley district, our best
potato soil being the alfalfa breaking
and you probably have the same here.
Our potatoes are planted along the
latter part Of May and the first of
June, most all of the potatoes having
been planted by the 3d or 4th of June.
Our alfalfa sod, standing two or three
years-three years is better than two
and cut hay from, is irrigated in
the spring as soon as we can get the
water, usually coming into the
bitches about the first of May, some-
times little during April. We irr.
gate that ground and let it get nicely
started-you know how quickly alfal-
ia will grow, coming with US an inch
daY-gets un to q nrettv good