22 THE POTATO 



the soil is called lava ash, is very mellow and 

 friable, does not bake, can be worked at almost 

 any time in the year, is rich and well drained 

 both by a natural slope and by deep coulees run- 

 ning through it to Snake River. 



At Greeley, Col., some of the soil in which 

 potatoes are grown is a medium desert loam, 

 drained by an underlying strata of coarse gravel; 

 other soils are heavier. 



The soils at Carbondale are a reddish granite 

 formation and very mellow. The country is very 

 steep. It is drained by the Crystal River, a 

 rushing mountain stream with an abrupt fall. 

 This gives ample drainage to the more level mesa 

 or table lands on which potatoes are grown. 



In Wisconsin, Michigan, and other Middle West- 

 ern States many of the best potatoes are grown on 

 river sands and sandy loams soils that are very 

 well drained naturally. 



In the Salinas and Lompoc districts in Cali- 

 fornia the best potato soils are friable, sandy 

 loams. 



In Aroostook County, Maine, the soil is rolling, 

 well drained, of lime-shale formation, and easily 

 worked at all times. 



Large quantities of potatoes are now being 

 grown in the Red River Valley, in Minnesota and 

 North Dakota, on the big grain farms. The soil 

 is a rich alluvial deposit. 



Potatoes are grown on well-drained sandy soils 

 in Great Britain, but also on heavier soils per- 

 fectly drained. The soil in some places in Europe 

 has been made suitable to the crop, even when not 

 naturally so. There are places where sand to a 

 depth of five inches has been hauled on and incor- 

 porated with heavy clay. Other heavy soils are 



