Productiveness and Degeneracy of the Irish Potato 
13 
reduced the number to seven. One of these was of Rural pollen on 
Pearl and contained no seeds. The six of Pearl pollen onto Rural all 
bore abundant seeds. We judge incomplete fertilization characteristic 
in Colorado of Rural pollen and of the pollen from the Early Rose 
family as we cut open 650 seed balls of these sorts and found no 
seeds. 
Next to the improvement of the Pearl, the most important work of 
this kind in Colorado is the introduction of some more disease resistent 
factor into both vines and tubers of the Rural family, and this result 
may be obtained in connection with the improvement of the Pearl. 
A third object is the securing of a better early variety than the 
Ohio or the Cobbler. If the desirable qualities of these two varieties 
can be combined, the benefit will be very great to all who grow or who 
eat potatoes. 
Our experience indicates that the crossing of varieties can be 
done with the best success at Greeley and Del Norte, and that selection 
and development is likely to be most successful at Carbondale. We 
find also that the best conditions for final seed potato production are 
likely to be those of the dry regions of Northeastern Colorado or of 
the Arkansas divide, and of high sage brush lands under ditch. 
It is calculated that if Pearls can be made to run smooth and not 
knotty, and Rurals made more healthy and a little earlier, that the Colo¬ 
rado crop will average to be worth at least five per cent, more money. 
Such improvements should be accompanied by at least an equal gain in 
yield, as herein foreshadowed, so that we may expect such work if 
eventually successful to increase the returns from potato growing at 
least ten per cent, in Colorado. This percentage on our crop is already 
$600,000 per year. 
BALANCE: A NEW TERM DEFINED. 
Balance may be here defined as the proper relative growth 
of the main stem, branches, and leaves and the proper relative influ¬ 
ence indicated bv aerial tubers to be exercised by each upon the shape of 
tubers formed by the swelling of underground stems. Eyes are shallow 
when the leaves and branches are in balance each with the other, and 
affect the surface of the potato equally. With such potato vines as 
have strongly sexual main stems tending to become seed stalks, the 
branches of the main stem are relatively weak and short while the 
leaves and the leaf stalks are very strong so that the main stem is crook¬ 
ed and takes an altered direction from every point of division from the 
leaf stalks. In the tubers borne by such plants, the leaf yokes are very 
prominent and the bottom of the eyes, which are the tips of the branches 
or sprouts, are receding, thus forming deep eyes. In such tubers in 
most cases the number of branches and the number of leaves includeed 
within the tuber are increased so that the tuber is relatively long with 
many and deep eyes. The formation of such tubers from stems whose 
counterparts above ground bear many short branches and many stiff 
