Potato Culture in Colorado 
'5 
On the Eastern slope, it is preferable to apply the water 
during .cloudy days or at night time. When the potatoes have 
reached their full growth, which depends largely upon the season 
and locality, it is advisable to withhold the water so that the 
skin of the tubers may ripen and harden. Otherwise, the keeping 
quality of the potatoes will be impaired. Keeping the tubers 
growing up to the harvest time results in ])Oor quality. 
There is a tendency in some potato-growing sections to crowd 
the growth and development, or, as some express it, to make the 
crop ‘bn the shortest possible time,” during* the month of August 
and half of September, by the liberal use of water. This practice 
may be advantageous during* favorable seasons, but such practice 
invariably results in a poorer quality of the crop ])roduced, and 
the tubers are watery and soggy, with poor keeping qualities. 
Further, seed potatoes grown in this way lack vigor. A normal 
growth development when the plant is not forced is preferable, 
so far as quality is concerned. It is also probable that undue 
forcing of the plants make them more susceptil)le to disease 
attack. 
HARVESTING 
The harvesting of a potato crop may appear to be a simple 
oneration which can be performed by anyone. As a matter of 
fact, the harvesting is one of the most important operations that 
a grower has to perform. The question of damage, due to the 
digger, and the problem of curing the potatoes so that they will 
stand up in storage, have to be looked after. Generally, a con¬ 
siderable percentage of the crop is injured by not having the 
digger set deep enough, thus cutting or mutilating the tubers. 
On heavv land, not properly prepared, it is difficult to get the 
dip-ger below all the tubers. On sandy lands, this difficulty should 
not exist. The tubers injured by the digger are very apt to decay 
in storage, and besides, they will spoil the salability of the crop. 
.Ao-ain. the practice of picking up the potatoes immediately 
after the digger is not good. In the first place, it is difficult to 
sort thoroughly the potatoes, and the diseased ones are apt to go 
with the good ones. Further, a small percentage of soil generally 
adheres to the tubers, and is carried along with them. If possible, 
the potatoes should be left on the field for several hours, so that 
they may become thoroughly dry. This will help in hardening 
the skins, and improve the keeping qualities of the potatoes. 
Potatoes cured in this manner in the field will keep much better 
and make a more salable product. 
In many irrigated sections, where the growing season is rela¬ 
tively short, and when the vines are growing vigorously up to 
