MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 1/ 



line. As a rule, the potatoes seemed to be in a rather unsatis- 

 factory condition. An interesting development in the west is 

 that it is by no means uncommon for private concerns to estab- 

 lish laboratories and employ pathologists of their own. The 

 American Smelting and Refining Company has done this at 

 Salt Lake City. One of the objects of this laboratory is to 

 find out the cause of recent, local potato failures, and devise 

 remedies. 



Very few easterners think of Idaho as a potato growing 

 state, but the irrigated lands which are now being opened up 

 or have been opened up in Idaho during the last ten or twelve 

 years are, so far, nothing short of a potato' grower's paradise. 

 Probably nowhere else in the country can so large yield's of 

 first-class potatoes be obtained at so little expense. In average 

 yields per acre Idaho is rapidly coming to the front, and un- 

 less some disaster like that which occurred in the Greeley dis- 

 trict of Colorado overtakes them it would not be surprising if 

 they took the lead in the country in yields per acre before many 

 years. 



This all agrees with what the land agent and promoter tells 

 you. There is, however, one more thing which he forgets to 

 tell you. While southern Idaho can and does produce cheaply 

 some of .the largest crops of most excellent potatoes, the people 

 to eat them are located hundreds of miles away. Either way 

 you go you must haul the crop long distances over high moun- 

 tain ranges, and much of the profit goes to the railroads. It 

 Will be a long time before the industry in a large way will be- 

 come very profitable here, unless some method is devised to 

 utilize the crop locally in such a manner that it will net a fair 

 price. At present they do not have starch factories or other 

 industries to take care of the culls and excess crop. 



While blackleg, wilt, leaf-roll and the Rhizoctonia disease 

 were all found, nearly a week's study of the situation in south- 

 ern Idaho indicated that, so far, these diseases have been of 

 very little importance there. 



One farm visited at Twin Falls, Idaho, was of particular in- 

 terest to me, since I found the blackleg disease there. A few 

 years ago I was called to visit a potato field in Piscataquis 

 county where blackleg was common. This was on a farm 

 where the disease had never appeared before. The field wa's 



