Show JULY 23 1915 POTATOES JN ALASKA the potato is by far the most important and universally grown growl rop in alaska with proper selection of varieties care and culture excellent potatoes can be grown nearly everywhere in the territory sprouting the seed before planting has been shown to greatly increase the chances of securing a good crop in the short season usually available A proof cellar for storage has alsor also been found to bea boa necessity the yield on newly cleared land js s usually small about bushels of merchantable potatoes at fairbanks in 1914 but rich land in good will sometimes 1 produce three to four times that much under ordinary culture the fairbanks station has grown potatoes for market for several years past the eject j act was to demonstrate that good potatoes could be grown in the interior and the farmers in the vicinity have taken the hint and nearly all of them now grow a considerable acreage of potatoes one estimating his crop as high as 50 tons which at 4 cents per pound or 80 per ton the lowest price at which potatoes have been sold up to the present time would bring the grower some potatoes rie are usually classed as a money crop the trouble now is that so many farmers inthe in the vicinity of fairbanks are growing potatoes that competition must of necessity bring down the price |