The Colorado Potato Industry. 
5 
is limited only by the amount of irrigated land on the mesas and 
in the valleys of the Roaring Fork and Crystal Rivers. The soil 
and climate of these valleys are admirably adapted to the growth 
of potatoes. Owing -to the high elevation and the proximity of 
high mountains, this district has a shorter growing season than the 
Greeley District and potatoes are planted correspondingly earlier. 
The soil is for the most part a red or blackish sandy loam on the 
mesas with a somewhat gravely soil in the river bottoms. 
The methods of culture are similar to those practiced in the 
Greeley District. Alfalfa is rotated with grain and potatoes. One 
difference in practice is that seed is planted closer. The hills 
there are nine to twelve inches apart instead of thirteen to fifteen 
inches. The rows are also a little closer together being from 
thirty to thirty-six inches apart instead of thirty-eight or forty. 
Few places can compete with the Carbondale District either 
in yield per acre or in quality of the product. The yields per acre 
vary on the different ranches according to the natural conditions 
of the soil and the fertilizers and methods of cultivation used but 
a high average yield is maintained. 
Here as at Greeley nearly all the potatoes raised are of the 
late varieties. Early potatoes do not yield sufficiently well to pay, 
nor come early enough in the season to bring the maximum price 
of early potatoes. The most popular variety is the Improved 
Peachblow, sometimes known as the Red or White McClure. Other 
varieties are the Pearl, White Beauty, Carmon No. i and Challenge. 
The output for the valley is from 300 to 500 cars, or from 150,000 
to 250,000 bushels. 
Quite a large per cent of the West Slope potatoes find their 
way to special markets for hotels and dining car service. The re¬ 
mainder supply the mountain towns or are sent into the same mar¬ 
kets as the other Colorado potatoes. 
The San Euis Valley District. The culture of potatoes 
in the San Luis Valley is somewhat different from that of the other 
potato districts of the State. The crop has been grown there since 
the early settlement of the State. Before the railroad was put 
through the valley, potatoes were freighted by wagon to Lead- 
ville and other mining towns. 
Alfalfa is not grown to any extent in the valley but peas take 
its place in the rotation. 
The soil varies in different locations but that on which potatoes 
are grown is a dark sandy loam underlaid with gravel. Sub-irri¬ 
gation is practiced here. The gravel contains water at only a short 
distance from the surface so by running water in shallow ditches 
twenty or thirty feet apart, the water table is raised so that the 
moisture is brought to the surface. 
