THE POTATO 5 



"It may seem presumptuous on my part to sug- 

 gest any remedy for the betterment of the present 

 unsatisfactory conditions obtaining in American^ 

 potato growing, but the more I investigate the 

 subject of potato culture in this country the more 

 I am convinced of the necessity of more thorough 

 and special knowledge of potato growing by 

 American farmers, if they are ever to compete 

 with the vast influx of foreign potatoes to our 

 shores. It seems to me urgent that our Govern- 

 ment exert itself to ameliorate, in some measure 

 at least, the present deplorable state of this great 

 and vital industry. We should investigate the 

 causes whereby the foreign potato culturists are 

 able to so considerably exceed our own best efforts 

 of production, and the diffusion of such informa- 

 tion among our American farmers would be in- 

 valuable and certainly productive of the use of 

 more intelligent methods by them, resulting in a 

 perceptible increase in this great food staple, to- 

 gether with a much needed improvement in 

 quality. 



"I am fully persuaded that we imperatively need 

 a more practical knowledge of seed growing and 

 seed selection, of growing special seed stocks, the 

 proper storage of seed stocks during the winter, 

 preparation of seed bed and cultivation, bal- 

 anced plant foods and fertilization of soil. I 

 know of no acquisition to agricultural knowledge 

 so devoutly to be wished, or that would be so 

 valuable to our farmers. 



"If Germany, with an area not more than twice 

 that of Colorado, can and does produce fully two 

 billion bushels of potatoes annually, and the 

 United States, in its entirety, a meagre two hun- 

 dred and seventy-five million bushels annually 



