Potato Growing in Colorado 
*3 
for those growers who wish to make a more thoro selection and 
who wish to continuously improve the variety grown. For such 
growers, the “hill method” is recommended. 
Hill Method .—As the name indicates, the selection is made 
in the field while the potatoes are growing. Hills which are strong 
and vigorous are selected and staked. At digging time, but before 
the main field is dug, these hills are dug by hand, and if the potatoes 
in the hill correspond with the vigor and growth of the vine in the 
number and size of tubers, they should be saved and kept separately 
for seed. 
If a grower will select 500 hills in this manner and keep those 
for planting the following spring, he will have a supply of seed 
potatoes that should be true to type and variety and be superior in 
vigor and yield to any seed that he can obtain. This method neces¬ 
sitates the use of a seed plot which is described elsewhere in this 
bulletin. 
In hill selection, both large and small tubers should be saved, 
since a small potato from an otherwise good hill is better for seed 
than a large tuber from a poor hill. A good potato grower should 
continue this method of hill selection from year to year, improving 
the variety both in quality and in yield. 
The expense connected with this method of selection is relative¬ 
ly small for the benefits derived. If our growers would follow this 
method, they would eliminate the necessity of changing seed and 
the extra expenses connected with the buying of new seed every 
few years. It may be stated, that under favorable soil and climatic 
conditions potatoes can be grown continuously in rotation in a given 
section and will continue to improve and become better adapted to 
this section if proper seed selection is pursued to keep up the 
quality and yield of the varieties. 
SEED PLOTS 
Every potato grower should grow his seed potatoes separately 
and distinct from his general crop. It need not be a separate field, 
but they should be planted separately, so that the seed plot can be 
under special observation during the growing season. Careful watch 
should be kept over the seed plot and all weak growing plants and 
plants showing any tendency to attack from diseases should be re¬ 
moved at once, leaving only the best hills to mature. This is a sec¬ 
ondary step in selection and will'do much towards bringing up the 
high standard of the seed. Ordinarily, at the end of the first season 
O'f the field grown seed, enough should be on hand to make the entire 
planting from. it. Then hill selection should start from this planting. 
In other words, in order to obtain best results, hill selection should 
