The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-02-22

an early potato equal to the Early Ohio 1t is po-
tao that is edible from the time it is the size of an
egg up to maturity, but it is not prolific yielder.
Question-What do you think OF the changing of
Seed and having seed brought in from other sections
of the country?
1t is all right if you bring better seed than you
have here, but if you have the best that be found
| would not do it. did not say much about seed Sc
lection but will say that nearly every potato grower
I know of in Colorado or anywhere else, advocates
getting seed every other year from Wisconsin
and the divide Some 10 years ago [ undertook to
breed potato and develop it the lines that
I breed my Shropshire sheep shorthorn cattle,
by using the best seed and then giving it the best
treatment in cultivation, irrigation and storage of
the seed. For 10 years I selected seed of the size
liked to produce. 12-ounce potato is about an
ideal potato. No would criticize find
fault with that kind of a potato. So | used seed of
that size for 10 IL years. selecting the seed in the
bin in the spring and often planted four or five
in special plot for seed the following year carried
that on for 10 or II years with potato they said
would out, the Perfect Peachblow and that pota
to continued to improve during all that time. Two
years ago there came to college specialist in
potato work from the east. He spent great deal
OF the summer investigating and experimenting and
he compimented quite freely on my work in
seed selection, but he wanted take up and further
improve my stock Out of specially selected seed
which | had he selected perfect tubers and planted
them in field by themselves and when those potatoes
fit to dig dug all of them and left them
just when dug in the hills. Any hill which did
not have 20 perfect tubers of uniform sze without
a knot or split end, was not reserved for seed. No
hill selected unless it was absolutely within
those rigid requirements and l want to tell you we
did not have many hills. [ think selected 200
pounds. Those planted one year ago and we har-
vested them last fall and it the marvellous
row OF potatoes | ever grown The specialist
whom [ referred to, illustrated the experiment by
asking me if | would ever think of breeding a bull
that was from an inferior dam matter how good
the size. If we keep up this seed selection, we
will soon have potato that will average 25 perfect
tubers to the hill. If we had bred our shorthorn
cattle as we have selected seed potatoes corn
or OATS would not have any shorthorn cattle
If we only used the culls, or waste to breed from
our breed would out Our breeds were
made by selecting the best to breed from Professor
Bennett illustrated that idea by saying that if used
good potato out of a hill that contained 10 or 12
bad potatoes, you would be using bad sire That
is the reason never selected perfect potato out
of hill that contained knotty split potato
Quest1on-What was the character of the tops of
the hills of potatoes that you say you got so many
out of?
You could see them for quarter of mile They
were large and luxuriant These potatoes here Gin
dlcat1ng the Perfect Peachbows) have been grown
on my farm for 25 years and people visiting my bins
say they have never seen more uniform lot of DO
tatoes and l have only begun the work of selecting
and breeding perfect potato.
Taking Peachblow and cutting it open Mr.
Grub remarked that he had only found one hollow
potato of this variety in 25 years)
There is one thing the Chamber of Commerce
ought TO 40 before the sun goes down. and that is to
see that the hotels here furnished with first
class potatoes that visitors and investors coming
INTO the country may see what is produced here.
- You do not want to grow Is 20 or 100 varieties
The Carbonate district grows scarcely ANYTHING but
the Peachblow potato. That is not early potato.
The Dalmeney Challenge is used on the Vanderbilt
lines IN the dining and in nearly all the best
hotels IN Denver, because it is fine cooker and
has SO little waste. 1t is very important that you
should grow a smooth potato, free from dirt and
Scab, or anything to detract from its appearance