Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station 693" 



A test similar to the above with a larger number of varie- 

 ties is being conducted at the University Farm under somewhat 

 different soil conditions, but the crops are not yet ready to har- 

 vest. Comparative tests with thirty varieties are also being 

 made at the University Farm, the Cochise Dry-Farm, and the 

 Prescott Dry-Farm. 



SWEET POTATOES 



Work with sweet potatoes has consisted largely in storage 

 tests. The adobe house, so designed as to embody the main 

 principles of successful sweet potato storage, has given most 

 gratifying results. A test conducted at the Salt River Valley 

 Farm during the past winter was entirely successful, the po- 

 tatoes keeping from November until April with a loss of only 

 two percent. A small lot was held over until June 16, at which 

 time the only sign of deterioration that could be detected was 

 a slight pithiness of the tubers. Cooking tests showed that the 

 potatoes still retained good quality. The Porto Rico variety 

 was used in making the test. 



A shrinkage test with sweet potatoes in storage was made 

 at the University Farm with two varieties — the Porto Rico and 

 Nancy Hall. The potatoes were placed in storage during the 

 month of October, and on March 2, the Porto Rico variety 

 showed a loss in weight of 13.8 percent, and the Nancy Hall 

 of 15.1 percent. It was noted that the greatest shrinkage oc- 

 curred in the case of the smaller potatoes. 



A test to determine the amount of sweet potatoes required 

 to produce plants to set an acre showed that 175 pounds is a 

 sufficient quantity where the potatoes are planted whole and the 

 plants set 18 inches apart in the row with 3V^ feet between the 

 rows. The Nancy Hall variety was used in making the test. 



VARIETY TESTS OF ORCHARD FRUITS 



VARIETIES AT THE SALT RIVER VALLEY FARM 



The orchard at the Salt River Valley Farm, which contains 

 over four hundred varieties of deciduous fruits, is now in its 

 third growing season, and while the trees could not be expected 

 to set heavily, a number of varieties have borne satisfactory 

 crops. Had it not been for a severe freeze, occurring when the 

 blossoms of some varieties were very susceptible to injury, 

 there would have been comparatively heavy yields of all the stone 

 fruits. 



