The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1908-10-09
Colorado's 1908 Potato Crop,

potatoes have so far been dug is not
misleading, Colorado will have a
bumper crop of potatoes for 1908.
In the Greeley district, which is now
the largest potato producing section
west of the Mississippi, the develop
ment OF vine has been greater than
ever before. Some complaint has been
made OF poor set of tubers, but in
vestlgation of this condition by the
writer has shown this to be for the
most part groundless.
The weather conditions, while not
particularly favorable, have been far
better than in most Of the great pota-
TO producing states. The recent frost
may have damaged particularly late
planted field, here and there, but, on
the whole, it was beneficial in that it
stopped the growth of vines and will
allow the tubers to mature in the soil
before being dug. The dry, cool
weather for the past month has also
been favorable for maturing potatoes
OF high quality, SO that it is expected
that the quality Of Greeley potatoes
will be at least up TO the standard.
An estimate Of the output of the dis
trict for this year is rather difficult to
make, but judging from the past, it is
safe to predict that it will not be far
from ten or twelve thousand cars.
While the increase at Greeley is
considerable, the large increase of the
Colorado crop over previous years will
come from the mountain districts of
the state. Reports from the Roaring
Fork and Grand Valleys, the Uncom-
pahgre, ard the San Luis indicate a
very marked increase. Last year the
Denver g. Rio Grande Railroad Co.
shipped from their valleys a total of
l,sOo cars of potatoes. This year they
are planning to handle 4,5OO cars, or
more than twice as many as any pre-
vious year.
. The increase in production of pota-
toes in Colorado need not frighten the
growers into selling at low price,
Within the past few days the Colorado
Experiment station has received let
tets from Maine, Connecticut, New
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana,
illinois. Utaha, Idaho, Washington
and Oregon concel ming the potato crop
III these states. All of them except
Maine and Minnesota report marked
shortage in crop, owing to adverse
weather conditions. Some of these re-
port as low as SO per cent of crop,
and several of them only from 60 to 70
per cent OF crop. When we consider
that these states, in a normal year,
produce 1876 million bushels, we see
the shortage in the United States is
far more than Colorado may hope to
produce for many years to come.
The crop of Europe this year is re-
ported to be large. This, however,
will not materially affect the price of
potatoes in the states because of the
import of duty on them.
Colorado's last years potato crop
brought, according to the United
States Crop Reporter, S4,5OO,OOO This
year, with the increase in yield and
probable high price, Colorado potato
growers ought to receive 800, {, 1000
for the crop. and this, it should be re-
membered is all clear money. No
fertalizer, no spraying materials, and
almost no valuable elements taken
from the soil. In fact, the soils that
grew this crop are in better condition
for grain crop next spring than they
would have been had potatoes not been
grown upon them.
One unnecessary mistake is still be-
ing made by the growers, especially in
the newer potato growing sections of
the state. That mistake is in not
planting one of the standard varieties.
The writer was recently in field, one
half OF which had been planted to the
standard Colorado variety, White
Pearl, and the other half to local
variety, or rather a mixture of varie-
Ties. The owner of the field was dig
glng and made the statement that the
part planted to pure seed would bring
seventy-five dollars more per acre than
the poorer variety. This loss is being
gradually overcome, but not SO fast as
could be desired.
Right now, during the potato har-
vest, is the time to select or buy the
seed for next years crop, which we
expect will be still larger than this