6 BULLETIN 47, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The vast deposits of petroleum in the United States, which Ger- 

 many lacks, also provide us with fuel oil and gasoline at prices which 

 at present nearly eliminate alcohol as a competitor. Consequently,, 

 we do not have this stimulus to develop potato growing for distilling. 



SOME REASONS FOR OUR LOWER YIELDS. 



LACK OF ADAPTED VARIETIES. 



As compared with the leading European countries, we have made 

 unsatisfactory progress in the development of improved varieties of 

 potatoes. On the other side of the Atlantic many skilled breeders 

 have for years been engaged in this work. Findlay and Scarlett in 

 Great Britain ; Cimbal, Paulsen, Richter, and Bohm in Germany ; 

 and Dolkowski in Austria have each introduced a large number of 

 promising sorts, and have made notable achievements toward greater 

 productivity and better quality. It is to be hoped that many private 

 breeders will engage in this fascinating work. Our needs for better 

 varieties are much greater, for our climatic conditions are so diverse 

 that potatoes adapted to special localities are required. Particularly 

 do we need a heat-resistant strain that can more successfully with- 

 stand the high summer temperature of the Central and Southern 

 States. Disease resistance is another quality that has been bred into 

 many foreign sorts but is notably lacking in ours. Not only should 

 we breed resistance to late-blight, but to wilt, scab, and other troubles 

 prevalent here. It appears probable that leaf-roll and other new dis- 

 eases, which many associate with varietal degeneration, are to be over- 

 come only by selection and breeding. 



We have already learned by experience that it is unprofitable to 

 introduce European varieties, for they do not maintain their quali- 

 ties here. We must breed American potatoes suitable for every need. 

 We have much to accomplish in increasing the starch content of our 

 potatoes, which is now lower than that <5f the German sorts by 4 to 8 

 per cent. Table quality is another requisite. The best European 

 table varieties possess a superior flavor, color, and texture, particu- 

 larly for boiling or frying. In this connection we may not overlook 

 the need for several types — one for baking, another for frying, while 

 a still more close-textured tuber is in some demand for salads. The 

 percentage of waste in preparation for the table is so much greater 

 in irregular, deep-eyed sorts that the shape of the tuber is a vital 

 point. 



NUMBER OF PLANTS TO THE ACRE. 



A prominent reason for the low average yield per acre in this 

 country is that we have, as a rule, fewer plants on an equal area. 

 Not only are wider rows and more space between hills the common 

 rule, but various other avoidable causes result in a poor stand. When 



