Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1908-03-05

who delivered an interesting and
instructive talk to the farmers in
Bull recently on the culture of the
potato, has written brief article
covering the principal features rel
alive to the subject, and we take
the same from the Bull Pioneer,
believing that the article con-
tains much information which
will interest the readers of the
Maverick. We publish the article
in full:
Next to bread and meat, the most
important article of food to the
Anglo Saxon race is the potato.
Notwithstanding its Importance as
a food product, comparatively little
attention has been paid to its de-
velopment and improvement until
recent years. The writer, having
spent number of years in trying
to grow varieties of potatoes that
would be of such quality and per-
fecIncss as to economical confor-
nation to command the highest
market prices, and having met
with fair degree OF success, is
constantly appealed to by growers
Tor information as to methods
and by consumers for a history
of the operation in producing
the three varieties that am
now growing and which are rap
idly attracting the attention of
the trade all over the country
because of their merit. In order
to answer these questions intelli-
gently, have in this manner ex-
planned as briefly as possible
something of the methods now be-
ing successfully used in the Car
bondale potato district and on
Mt. Sopris farm, and a history
of the principal varieties grown;
In order to produce a perfect
specimen of any article one must
first have in mind an ideal. We
must therefore, understand what
constitutes a perfect potato, both
from the stand point of the CON-
sumner and the trade. The con-
sumner desires potato, that when
cooked will be dry, mealy or like
flour when crushed. The ideal
potato should be uniform in size,
not too large or too small, with
eyes not deep, but as nearly flush
with the surface as possible. The
trade wants potato that is clean
and dry, with tough skin, not
easily bruised or broken, as
broken skin provides the nucleus
for rot.
Uniformity-Onc of the most
important specifications in the
production of of an ideal potato is
uniformity in size. 1t IS, of course,
impossible to grow potatoes all If
the same size, but l make it
point to grade the potatoes before
marketing into nearly uniform
sizes. In cooking the tuber this
is most important, as when
small potato is cooked with larger
enc, either the small one becomes
overdone or the larger one under
done. With nearly equal sizes,
they all cook alike.
Quality Potatoes are like fruit
in one respect. They are best
when fully ripe. A well -ripened
potato, matured in proper soil, is
luxury for an epicure when prop
erly cooked. The unripe potato
when cooked is wet and soggy
and clammy. The starch MOLE
cules have not been transformed
as they should be and the potato
is not digestible. The well-rip-
ened potato cooks dry even in
water, and brushes to a flaky pow
derv mass in the fine granulated
form.
Conformation-It is only within
recent years the potato breeders
have paid much attention to the
conformation of the potato The
ideal potato must be regular in
shape, round or oval with eyes
nearly flush with he surface. The
large hotels and restaurants are
compelled to use machines for par
ing. With the old fashioned, irreg-
ular shaped potato, the less in par
ing was often equal TO a third OF
the weight Of the tuber. The Mt.
Sopris potato can be handled very
economically in a pairing machine.
the loss being practically nothing
but the tough skin. In the matter
of economy, therefore, the regular
conformation of the potato is high
ly important.
Climatic Conditions-The origin
al potatoes were found growing wild
in the mountain districts of North