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


any apparent weakening of its Wit
atty, we may reasonably expect
the closely related cultivated spec
les to attain and retain maximum
of vigor and vitality. This law we
find exemplified in the high noun
tain valleys of Western and South
ern Colorado. There, at an evela-
ton of 5000 feet and above, the
wild potato, Solanum Jamesii, was
found growing by the first settlers,
and is still to be found in many
places.
1T has been common knowledge
for many years that the potato
thrives best in cool, dry climate.
With this fact in view it is not So
remarkable that this habitat of the
wild potato, where the soil is COM
posed of ground granite and sand
stone rock rich in phosphates and
potash and where the nights are
cool and the days dry and sunny,
the cultivated potato should reach
its maximum of size, productive
ness, vigor and quality
An important effect of the elm
ate is the uniformity in the quality
of the product from year to year.
Climatic conditions in the noun
tain sections of Colorado do not ap-
parcnty vary enough to materially
affect the quality of the crop from
year OF year and the crop this year
is as good in quality as last year
and will be the same next year.
This is highly important in estab-
fishing commercial demand.
The Mt. Sopris Potatoes-My ex-
perimcnts in improving and devel-
oping the varieties of potatoes
grown on Mt. Sopris Farm cover a
period of about fifteen years. My
first work was with the Perfect
Peachblow, variety grown in
this country or over fifty years,
and is one of the oldest varieties in
existence Originally it was yell
low fleshed, often hollow and bitter
to the taste. Peter Henderson, a
well-known New York scotsman,
developed this variety, and in 1883
some of his Perfect Peachblow
were brought to Colorado and
planted in the Roaring Fork Valley.
The perfected variety was of
white flesh, never hollow or bitter,
and proved an ideal potato. 1t is
round and slightly flattened on one
side, with few. eyes and tough
skin. 1t became a great fsvorite
and is still the leading variety on
the Western slope of Color ado.
Perfect Peachblow-My first eff
forts were in the direction of in
creasing the tonnege yield of this
variety. The trouble most found
was that the hills produced one or
two of great size and many small
ones. The large potatoes often
cracked open and the crop as a
whole lacked uniformity. My
method was first to plant the size
potato l desired and later to select
my seed from the hills producing
not less than twelve potatoes of I'M
form size and type. BY this meth
cd have been able to secure a
crop Of uniform and fixed type
characteristics. This plan resulted
in greatly increased production but
subsequently l found it advisable
to sacrifice some of this increased
yield to quality. l have succeeded
in producing uniform type of
Perfect Peachblow, of fine quality,
fixed type characteristics and uni
form size.
Dalmeny Beauty Several years
ago l had an opportunity to see the
work being done in type breeding
of potatoes on the Earl Of Rose
berry's Dalmeny Farm in Scotland.
Since then have imported twelve
different varieties of these fine
Scotch-bred potatoes, but have
found only 1.-TWO varieties that
proved adaptible to Roaring Fork
district. OF these the Dalmeny
Beauty has proven very promising.
1t is white fleshed, medium
to large potato, oval to oblong, shall
low eyed, with a clean attractive
skin. The vine grows from three
to five feet high, and il if one OF
the heaviest yielders known. One
stalk in the Carbondsle district
produced twenty-five tubers weigh
ing eleven and one-half pounds.
Four acres in the same section pro-
duced 307 sacks per acre, lie
pounds to the sack. II is strong
feeder and needs rich soil.
Challenge-This is another
Scotch variety imported from Dali
meny Farm. 1t is medium late