Potato Growing in Colorado 
9 
ing of stock for animals. It also reverses the common practice of 
gardeners in taking propagating stock from the best plants, instead 
of taking them from, the poorest. 
The common complaint that potatoes “run out” is due not to 
the potatoes “running out” of themselves, but to the planting of 
tubers from the poorest hills and the poorest potatoes of good hills. 
When this process of selection downward has been continued for a 
few years, the result is disastrous to the grower, and instead of 
blaming himself for the result, he blames it to- the “running out” of 
the potatoes. The potatoes do not run out—it is really the farmer 
who runs the potatoes out. It stands to reason that if a given 
variety is adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of a given 
section, that that variety, if proper care is taken in seed selection, 
-w ill continue to give good results, and instead of showing a de¬ 
crease in yield, actually show an increase. This is especially true 
where the soil and climatic conditions are favorable for the develop¬ 
ment of the potato plant. It is not true in sections where the soil 
and climatic conditions are not favorable to the plants. In these 
sections the imfportation and the planting of seed from more favor¬ 
able sections is always advisable. 
MATURE SEED vs. IMMATURE SEED 
The potato being botanically an underground stem, has per¬ 
haps a greater bud activity before maturity than after. This has led 
many to believe that immature seed, that is, seed that has not 
reached its full growth, but ripened off before this has been attained, 
is better for seed purposes than seed that has matured in the normal 
way. While theoretically, the buds may be more alive or more 
active in partly matured potatoes, it is not true so far as the value 
for seed is concerned. It is true that the terminal bud and cluster 
of buds in the immature potato are more active than in the fully 
mature one, but the eyes or buds located on the stem half of the 
immature tubers are really less developed than on a fully mature 
tuber, and this is the real reason why an immature tuber has, in 
many instances, given better results than fully mature tubers, for 
seed. In other words, immature tubers planted whole will develop 
one strong shoot, the terminal one, while the rest of the buds or 
eyes may never reach the top of the soil, thus producing a strong 
vigorous plant with one main shoot—an ideal plant for the grower. 
Where such seed can be obtained, it is undoubtedly preferable to 
use fully mature seed. 
The development of a prominent terminal bud is especially 
noticeable in certain varieties of potatoes, particularly potatoes of 
the Peachblow type, and, so far as this particular variety is concern- 
