The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1913-05-22
MAINE LOOKING FOR
BETTER POTATOES
To Choose Best Places
for Crops
To Increase Number of Bushels to the
Acre

The experiments in potato growing,
started last year on the John Watson
| Co. farm in Houlton, are promising
much for the industry in that county
and in all parts of Maine.
These experiments or Investigations
are upon such a broad plan that it is
difficult to select any particular object.
The nearest to this is to explain that
the most important purpose of the in
yestigations. at this time is to estab-
lish the section, not of Aroostook but
of the country, best adapted to the
production of seed potatoes The
process will not be confined to the
Aroostook farm lands. Already ex-
periments have been in other states
along this same line. Other things,
such as securing an increased amount
of solids in the potato, thereby fur
nishing a greater reason for increas-
ing the potato acreage and crop of
the country, are being tested
In the spring of 1912, the United
States department of agriculture
found itself possessed of a large col
lection of seeding potatoes, the re-
suit of much careful and painstak;ng
naturalization and culture. 1t was
desirable that these seedlings should
be tested out in a locality where pc
tato growing had assumed large COM
mercial importance and where soil
and climate were favorable to the
production of big crops. Aroostook
county presented the ideal place. The
experts of the department were con-
WINGED that seedlings would behave
much differently in Aroostook than at
the experimental farm in Honeoye
Falls, N. Y, where tests had been
made. The department did not have
funds sufficient to warrant coming to
Maine and securing land necessary
for the purposes. The situation was
placed before w. A. Martin Of the
John Watson Co, who rendered the
use of the necessary land on the COM
pany's farm. This offer was accept
ed by the company and the expert
ments began under the supervision OF
Prof. William Stuart, horticulturist
of the bureau of plant industry of the
department.
These tests which are being made
will be carried on through series oil
years and Prof. Stuart summarizes
the investigations to be made in this
period under the following heads:
| % Testing of a large collection oil
Seeding potatoes GU testing a dis
ease resisting variety collection; CD
plant effect trials; (4) starch content
Of American and European varieties
(5)seed improvement by the tube UNI
lite and hill selection methods; Co
artificial crossing for the production
of new varieties.
TESTING SEEDING VARIETIES
To go into a detailed explanation oil
the scientific methods which will be
followed in working out the various
experiments, would lead the average
man into the very deepest water and
soon have him over his head, but
! Prof. Stuart recently talked the work
over with reporter and explained II
in way which any person can
grasp.
He explained at the start that in
! the work the department took advan-
/ tage of the we'll known law of heredi-
| ty that If new type of either plant
or animal was desired, the end could
much more quickly be secured by
crossing individuals of unlike attri-
butes: that frequently this was the
only way it could be done. The seed
ling collection which lead to the in
vestigations now being made were
the result of this method. They
were the outcome of number oil
crosses between American, European
Mexican and South American species
of potatoes Many of these crosses
had been made with the one purpose
of securing a greater disease resist
ing potato.
This work was originally begun by
Prof. Stuart when connected with the
Vermont experiment station. They
were continued after he became con
nected with the national department
of agriculture at Washington. This
more important of these crosses were
made in 1909. In 1911 they produced
80, 900 seedlings, of this number 10000
were raised at Honeoye Falls, N. Y
The seedlings which were brought to
Maine were from this 10000.
Producing new varieties of pota-
toes is not the primary object of this
work.
Prof. Stuart explains that there are
too many varieties at present. The
real effort is to develop varieties pos
sessing certain attributes or charact-
eristics. not now found in existing va
rieties or at least, not to such marked
degree as is desired. The qualities
especially desired to attain are (A)
greater resistance of both vines and