11. IRISH POTATOES. 
By frank L. WATROUS. 
The first serious problem that presented itself for solu¬ 
tion after the Arkansas Valley Experiment Station was ready 
for work, was that of growing potatoes. All that was known 
on the subject, was that “potatoes would not grow,” and it 
was impossible, the first season to form any plausible theory 
on which to base an experiment. The first year’s work was 
to no purpose except as it produced ideas to be tested in the 
work of the following season. 
From forty varieties grown the first season, only eight 
varieties gave any promise, and these were by no means 
good. Seed was saved, however, and a more varied system 
of planting adopted. The following spring, potatoes were 
planted as early as March 17th, in newly manured ground, 
which was further enriched by the application of ashes from 
a lot of sorghum stalks, burned for the purpose. The seed 
was small, having been stunted, by unfavorable conditions 
the previous season and the outlook for the experiment was 
not the best. However, some of these early potatoes pro¬ 
duced fairly well, the tubers reaching marketable size. 
In June of that season, some seed potatoes from Salt 
Lake were secured and planted June 20th, in rich soil and 
wood ashes added to the hills. These potatoes yielded at 
the rate of 160 bushels per acre and were fine in size and 
quality. 
The above experiments gave us the following points:— 
First, that home grown seed could not be depended upon to 
produce the best results; second,there seemed to be a deficiency 
of some soil element which was needed to produce thrifty 
growth, or, supposing the soil to be complete, it was thought 
that the system of irrigation used, in conjunction with the 
extremely warm weather prevailing in summer, might pro¬ 
duce a chemical or mechanical condition of the soil, or both, 
whereby the element lacking might be locked up in some un¬ 
available form. 
