THE POTATO 875 



sumers for a history of the operation in producing 

 the three varieties that I am now growing and 

 which are rapidly attracting the attention of the 

 trade all over the country because of their merit. 

 In order to answer these questions intelligently, I 

 have in this manner explained, as briefly as pos- 

 sible, something of the methods now being suc- 

 cessfully used in the Carbondale potato district 

 and on Mt. Sopris Farm, and a history of the prin- 

 cipal varieties grown. 



In order to produce a perfect specimen of any 

 article one must first have in mind an ideal. We 

 must therefore understand what constitutes a 

 perfect potato, both from the standpoint of the 

 consumer and the trade. The consumer desires 

 a potato that when cooked will be dry, mealy, or, 

 when crushed, like flour. The trade wants a potato 

 that is clean and dry, with a rough skin, not easily 

 bruised or broken, as a broken skin provides the 

 nucleus for rot. 



Uniformity. One of the most important speci- 

 fications in the production of an ideal potato is 

 uniformity in size. It is, of course, impossible to 

 grow potatoes all the same size, but I make it a 

 point to grade the potatoes before marketing into 

 nearly uniform sizes. In cooking the tuber this is 

 important, as when a small potato is cooked with 

 a large one, either the small one becomes overdone 

 or the large one underdone. With nearly equal 

 sizes, they all cook alike. 



Quality. Potatoes are like fruit in one respect: 

 they are best when fully ripe. A well-ripened 

 potato, matured in proper soil, is a luxury for an 

 epicure when properly cooked. The unripe po- 

 tato when cooked is wet, soggy and clammy. The 

 starch molecules have not been transformed as 



