14 
Colorado Experiment Station 
leaf stalks growing from a stem of elongated character may be conceiv¬ 
ed to account for such tubers being circular rather than elliptical in 
cross section, i he better the balance of tubers the flatter they are and 
the more run out the more nearly circular their cross sections. 
Strong side branches and the tendency of branches to turn upward 
appear to be coordinated with tubers being flattened, as are all our 
sorts to some degree when most productive, and with the fact that most 
of the eyes of such tubers are on the upper side. When first formed 
such tubers are not flattened, the Rural for instance being, when newly 
lormed, circular in cross section, and later flattened.* 
Aside from the above stated element of proper balance in potato 
plants there is another element of balance, the tendency of stems 
either to stop growth before the tuber growth ceases, or to go ahead of 
the growth of tuber parts and tissue. The improved Peachblow potato 
is perhaps the best example of this. It has in many cases a recessed 
seed end, and in many cases it renews growth from this end, forming 
a “necklace” Of t T gS ’ which are more sexual - a series or even 
a necKlaoe of tubers on one stem. In this variety also there is a 
noticeable tendency for growth to start from within the tuber possibly 
from dormant buds Large tubers of this variety crack very seriously 
knots W hea‘r- ^ f ° Und what a PP ear to be internal tubers or 
. I, ' w? ng n' VeS 1 J 6 , t losc on tbe exterior surface of the original 
tuber When flattened, large Peachblows seldom crack. g 
e element of balance shows in Pearls in another way namely that 
tuber stems of more strongly sexual plants are more subject to the 
I nC en ‘7 ° f the branches to grow and form knots. Growers common 
rU a t y except n thIt n thT a / er d ng OCCa / ions knots - and ‘hey are undoubtedly 
portant factor ° PreV '° US yearS is P erha P s a ™re im- 
HARMONY OF PLANS FOR POTATO BETTERMENT. 
sought in potato breeding!* 1 'Within die bounds'of ^ arm ?" y ° f ° bjects 
yields, the most desirable flattenedtube"and the TlT * ^ 
,a"°i itio 7- that ^r^f ^ e „:sr or e ^ 
keeper come from S lh P e r tme^feMr erS ’Uni beS \T alit E^-*^ H ° USe - 
undue length of tuber bul°-inp- nr “r™ c ^ es , 1 , rable cylindrical shape, 
and irregular shape, altho^affected by varietal diff’ kn ° tS ’ deep ey6S ’ 
have common causes and common remedies. ferences > appear to 
most productive. d have°noted f 't'his\vith"f equa1 ' ma y be expected to be 
Russet to be quick to relpond to selection of andhave found the 
Carbondale, in 1910 we obtained from ec . tl , on of wide seed tubers. . At 
acre more than from slender round tubeTs'^ofThe same^ock 57 P ° UndS P " 
