THE POTATO 405 



which are grown as table varieties, and the Early 

 Rose, which is grown as a seed potato and shipped 

 to California. The Garnet and Peerless are also 

 grown to a lesser extent for the same purpose as the 

 Early Rose. 



"The preparation of the land here generally con- 

 sists in early spring plowing, harrowing and disking, 

 then seeding immediately to the potatoes. On the 

 smaller fields the potatoes are generally planted by 

 hand and covered by the plow or with the hoe. In 

 all the fields of any size, however, the planting is 

 done with a planting machine. The more careless 

 farmers give but little cultivation to the potato 

 crop, sometimes merely harrowing the land a 

 couple of times before the potatoes are up. The 

 more successful growers, however, not only harrow 

 the potatoes two or three times before they are up, 

 using the weeder after they are up, but then use a 

 row cultivator two or three times to complete the 

 cultivation. Where such thorough cultivation is 

 given the most excellent results are obtained. 



"Irrigation is not required at all for potatoes in 

 western Oregon. They are never irrigated in the 

 Willamette Valley at the present time, although in 

 years to come there is no doubt that the yield may 

 be slightly increased by irrigation when more 

 intensive farming methods require the highest 

 yields obtainable. In the Rogue River Valley the 

 potatoes are sometimes irrigated, but this is not 

 the common practice. Of course, in eastern 

 Oregon wherever potatoes are grown on a commer- 

 cial scale, at least, irrigation is used, as a rule. 

 Potatoes in eastern Oregon, however, are grown 

 only, as a rule, in amounts sufficient to supply the 

 local markets. On the dry-farming wheat land 

 in eastern Oregon the farmers are just beginning 



