The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-02-11

pies that did not have an imperfect
specimen In car. Do not put in a
package potato that you would not
serve to guest at your own table.
Selection of Seed
OF all the factors in potato growing
selection of seed is by far the most
important. Some twelve years ago
the writer undertook to improve and
develop potato along the same lines
that he follows in improving his
Shropshire sheep and Shorthorn cat
tie, using the best method of selection
and giving the seed plant the best
possible cultivation and irrigation in
order to obtain uniformity of pro-
duct. Since that time he has been
selecting seed potatoes of the size
and type which he wants to produce.
AS a 12-ounce potato is about the
ideal in size, seed potatoes of that
size were selected from the bin in
the spring and then or acres were
planted in special plat for seed, to
be used for the main crop the follow
Ing year. This plan was followed
for twelve years with potato (the
Perfect Peachblow) which it was said
would degenerate and ultimately run
out; but that potato continued to i'm
prove during all that time.
Three years ago Prof. Ii. r. Ben
nett, a specialist in potato work from
the East, came to our state agricul-
tural college He became interested
in the work the writer was doing and
freely complimented him on his sue
cess in potato production; but he
wanted to take up and further i'm
prove the, stock. Out of specially
selected seed he selected perfect tub
ers and planted them in a field by
themselves, and when the potatoes
were ready to harvest we dug all of
them by hand and kept the product
OF each hill separate. All hills that
did not have 20 tubers of UNIFORM
size, without knot, crack, or rough
ends were discarded. No hill was
selected unless it came within these
requirements, and surprisingly few
hills were found which passed mus
ter. Enough were selected, however.
to make about 200 pounds, and these
were planted the following spring.
When harvested it was most mar
velous row of potatoes. BY pursuing
this method it is hoped soon to have
potato that will make rs perfect
tubers to the hill.
Had we bred our Shorthorn cat
tie the same as we have been in the |
hablt OF selecting and breeding our
seed potatoes. we would now have
no breed of Shorthorns. If we used
only the culls and scrubs to breed |
from, our breeds of stock would soon
run out. These breeds have been
brought to their present standard by |
selecting the best of scientific priy,:- /
ciples of breeding. One reason why
potatoes have degenerated in The mast
Is that the potato gr,wers of the |
United States have planted their culls
and screenings under the erroneous
lmpressifn that su h methods in seed |
secretion would produce as good re-
Suits as any other.
In selecting potatoes in the field,
considerable dependence can be plac-
ed on the appearance of the tops. A
large perfect top, with several stems
Of good shape and size, can be de-
pended upon to have more tubers un-
der It, and of more uniform quality
and size, than hill with single
stalk or one with small weak stems.
One of the essential and most i'm
portant factors for success in this in
dustry is the selection of perfect
seed stock from the hill, in much the
same way as seed corn is selected in
the field from the best individual
stalks. There is no other way to get
true breed characteristics in potatoes
except by selecting from the perfect
seed from the perfect hill, and seed
should be saved only from hills pro-
duclng a first-class marketable potato
IN the growing of which there is no
waste of plant food No manufact-
urer in this day of economy could
stand the loss entailed by methods of
under which he was
compelled to Gull out and throw in
the scrap pile 20 per cent of his pro-
duct as waste. and no one can ex-
pect the highest success in potato
culture who adopts methods resulting
In a loss of 20 to 60 per cent of his
crop in culls and unmarketable pota-
toes. But this is what the potato
growers of the United States are do
ing today.
Varieties
Years of experience have demon
'trated that comparatively few va
'ieties of potatoes are really adapted
% western or mountion conditions.
Among the early varieties none has
,een so universally successful as the
Carly Ohio. This potato is of fine .
luality and uniform in size and shape
hough not heavy yielder Another :,
rood potato, though not so early, !
the Rose Seeding.
For medium to late variety, the
)almeny Challenge, a Scotch variety, !
; being used quite extensively on the !
7estern slope of Colorado. For later
arieties, the White Pearl and Rural 1
Jew York No. 2 are more extensively !
lsed at Greeley, in the san Luis Val !
ey, and in the Uncompahgre Valley; i
nd the Perfect Peachblow is the ia !
orite in the upper Grand Valley. The =
after variety has been grown con- .
inuously by the writer for twenty
i've years, and under. the system of =
81 ! NJ