THE POTATO 373 



New Castle, Eagle, Gypsum, Montrose, Delta, 

 Olathe, Grand Junction. The conditions in all 

 of these are very similar and a description of one 

 serves to describe all. 



Because it was a leader in making the present 

 popularity of the product, the Carbondale ter- 

 ritory will be described most in detail. 



Carbondale is just off the Roaring Fork of the 

 Grand River. From the Frying Pan — a small 

 tributary at the head of the Roaring Fork — to 

 Glenwood Springs, where it joins the Grand, the 

 Roaring Fork is about thirty miles long, and the 

 valley is about one mile wide. It is a rough, 

 mountainous country, with an elevation of from 

 5,000 to 8,000 feet. 



The farming land in this valley is not in one 

 continuous body, but in scattered areas along the 

 river and its tributaries and on the bench land ad- 

 jacent. 



It is in this sort of country that the potato is 

 found growing wild. The soil is open and well 

 drained and the native vegetation consists of rich 

 grasses, sage brush, and trees. 



The excellence of the potatoes grown at Car- 

 bondale first attracted the interest of the partic- 

 ular hotel and dining-car trade. Seven years ago 

 (1905) Mt. Sopris Farm contracted to furnish 

 the New York Central Railroad with potatoes. 

 Baking and cooking tests were made at the farm 

 by the buyer. The business grew, and Carbon- 

 dale had the first growers' association on the 

 Western Slope. Now this product is known from 

 the Atlantic to the Pacific. 



In an interesting publication regarding the 

 country is the following descriptive matter: ''Ly- 

 ing within the shelter of high mountains at an alti- 



