EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT
What Varieties of Potatoes are Best
With You— TO hit Yield do You
Expect this Year, and how
do You Dig?
1st Premium.—We have planted many
varieties of potatoes, among whioh were
the Green Mountain, Burbanks, Rural
New Yorker and Early Rose. The Green
Mountain has me the largest yield
I ever raised, I never measured
the whole orop, but dug a bushel
once from eight hills. We have
had other varieties do very well
but never had any to equal the Green
Mountain, for yield or for eating ln the
winter. . The Early Rose and Rural New
Yorker are also good eating potatoes. We
have not dug our potatoes tor this year,
but have sampled them aud find that they
will hardly be worth digging. We manured and fertilized our ground very heavily, and the dry weather set in just as
they were blooming and they did not do
any good. We generally plow out our
potatoes and pick them up by hand, then
follow with the harrow and pick them
again. 1 like to dig when lt is dry enough
for the dirt to drop from them.       B. B,
Corydon.
2d Premium.—We have planted several varieties, such as Early Rose, Bliss's
Triumph, "Green Mountain, Burbank,
Snowfiake, Rural New Yorkers, and Red
Star. Early Rose was planted tor early
use, with Green Mountain and Red Star
tor winter and spring use. Green Mountain has been the largest ylelder we have
ever planted. It Is a good potato, with
one fault, 1. e., when they grow large
they have a hollow in the center.
Early Rose is good early in the season,
but not so good later.
Red Star is a good potato the year
round. It is not quite as early as some
others but is good when it does come, and
is good until new potatoes come.
We have not dug our potatoes yet
but the yield will be poor; the dronth
strnok them at just tne time for young
potatoes to set and continued until
the vines were all dead.
We had a good rain August 15th, but,
alas, it was too late for tho potatoes and
corn orop.
As to digging potatoes we plant them
only tor family use, and when digging
time comes we hitch one horse to the
one horse turning plow and turn thom out
and pick them up; then harrow the
patoh and pick again; but this year I
think we shall have to plow and harrow
two or three times to get enough potatoes.
Harrison Co. A. B.C.
3d Premium.—Early Ohio is decidedly
the best potatoes this season. It yields
from 40 to 50 bushels per acre. I dig
under the old Mosaical law with a long-
handled shovel. War. Reynolds.
Hamilton Co.
REVIEW.
Potatoes are an Interesting orop to me.
They are very susceptible to good treatment. They get mad and sulky so quiok
if neglected. If one is careless he don't
see the cause, but simply says "too
dry."   *
• One of the best means to fight "dry" ls
to plant seed with lots of vitality. One
may say "My seed Is good beoause lt
brings good potatoes, In good years."
This may be true of weak seed.
I have been much disappointed occasionally in my crop, and oftenest in dry
years. But I noticed the rows scattered
through the field from fresh seed; I mean
seed bought from parties who cross the
trne seed that comes by blooming, and
these rows were conspicuously rank and
had good tubes. So I have been muoh
impressed of late years with the Import
ance of strong seed with lots of vitality,
and have made it it a point to send East
or North every year to secure a barrel or
two.
The writers speak well of the same
kinds that do well here. Except that we
have dropped the Burbank. It was good
tor years, and then got wasp-wais ted and
rough and small.
The Rural New Yorkers are the best
ylelders. They must always grow to
good size If they have a chance, and will
grow fewer in a hill if the season is
against them.
They are so smooth and flattened a
little till they are seldom hollow. The
Green Mountain does well, but ls rougher
than the Yorker and Carmans Nos. 1 and
2. The Craig is a big, round, deep-eyed
'tater, and yields well.
The Ohio is a remarkable potato. It
has lived among us a long time, and is
much prized by everybody. Many of
our people grow a few Ohio's. We were
lucky this year ln planting them late,
snd they are better than early planted,
but will not be large. The New Queen
is good with us, but I think next year we
shall plant Rural New Yorker No. 2, Carman Nos. 1 and 2, Green Mountain
and Ohio. There are several kinds of
Green Mountain and they differ so much
that one can't tell them. We discarded
one kind as lacking in vitality.
We "dig" with a potato plow that has
rods running baok, hinged. to the" top of
the plow, and a wheel nnder them that
shakes them up and down.
We made a plow before this by bending the iron beam of a big singlo shovel
so as to lay the shovel as flat as possible,
and ran prongs baok eight inches, and
fastened cistern pump chains to the ends
of them. The dirt fell on the chains and
they stirred it enough to show most of
them.
Either plow gets them cleaner than
hand digging. Plow out every other row
and drive a wagon along with plokers.—
Tobaoco buckets are good for the purpose.
Wm. Reynolds recommends Ohlos.—
They have not been productive enough
tor a field potato. We are eating them
now and they surely mash into as beautiful a mealy white as any potato grown,
They were almost a failure this year
around here. They were bronght into
our stores averaging about IA inches
throngh and sold, marbles and all, tor 20o
a peck. The trouble with them was that
the ground was plowed too wet, so early,
and It turned dry about "setting" time
and the ground was hard and burnt out
As I write I can hear the rattle of
gravel wagons. We have about 20 teams
in our pit most every day lately.
I think our good friends must be busy
as we are not rushed with copy. Will
you be so kind as to take time to write
during the busy season, instead of piling
up so muoh copy in the winter.
The chances for premiums are much
better now. Let us have a lot of "good
roads" copy, and show your children the
temperance topio. We thank you very
sincerely tor past help.
No. 80, Sept. — Highway improvem&nt.
How do you make grades and road beds 7
How do yon manage high hills T
No. 81, Sept. 24—What material do you
nse to cover the road, and what does lt
cost ready to haul with wagons?
No. 82, Sept. 31.—How does the law on
mowing weeds ln the roads work? Offer
suggestions.
Premiums of $1, 75a and OOo will be
given to 1st, 2d and 3d best articles eaoh
week. Let copy be as praotical as possible and forward It 10 days before publication to Carmel.
E. H. Collins
Get your neighbor to subscribe tor the
Farmkr tor the; balance of the year at
25 oents.
A DAY AT THB OHIO STATU FAIB.
For the first time we vislt6d this great
and noted fair last week. Being so familiar with our own State fair we were anxious to make comparison with that of our
sister State on the East. Possibly later
we will see what Illinois oan do ln this
line.
Among the first of the noteworthy
things to mention regarding the Ohio fair
is the ease of reaching the grounds. From
the great Central depot, Into which all
trains run, you oan go out by steam cars
to the west entranoe. If you are up ln
the oity you may take eithor of two lines
of eleotric oars, that pass every three
minutes, to the south and southwest entrances. The distanoe is about three
miles, and the time from 10 minutes by
rail to 20 minutes by street car.
The grounds are spacious and beautiful.
Between the wide walks and driveways
aro neatly kept grassy lawns dotted with
maple trtos, shrubbery and flower beds,
with an occasional pond, on which flags
and lillles are growing. Were lt not for
the buildings a stranger would suppose
the grounds were laid out for a park, and
we were surprised to learn that the place
is not used for this purpose. With so
much care taken to keep it in order it
seems a pity that the public should get no
benefit from it during the whole year ex
oept during fair week.
The buildings are mostly located near
each other on the middle of the south hall
of the grounds, the race track being in
the northeast portion. They are large,
well lighted and built with a view to permanence. The one devoted to agrlcul.
tural and horticultural produots ls
especially well-designed and spaoious. It
has proven too small, however, and an
annex has been added to it, conneoted by
a covered way. The Woman's building
near by is also large and well arranged.
All these were filled—and well-filled.
Art gallery Is of stone and brick and
contains, besides drawings, paintings, engravings, eto., the grain exhibit made by
Ohio at the AVorld's Fair in '93. Everybody who attended that great exposition
remembers the temple, whose pillows
were huge glass oyllnders filled with
wheat, corn, beans ana other grains and
seeds. Here it is to-day with scarce a
ohang, a thing of beauty and a startling
reminder of that great world's wonder,
which ln Its entirety was too beautiful
and grand to last.
The stock pens are much like those on
our own grounds, though hardly so convenient we think. Agricultural Implement pavilions are not more numerous
nor better constructed than those ou our
grounds.
The side show business is all abolished
from the Ohio grounds, and there was not
a sign of any place, either within or near
where Intoxicants were sold, and we saw
no evidence of the use of liquors among
thevlsltois. Itis emphatically a clean
fair.
A good band of musio was engaged part
of the time at the amphi-theaters whore
stock was being exhibited, and at other
times in a balcony of the main building.
A unique structure built of stone and
glass has a prominent place on the
grounds, and well it may tor it encloses
the identical little frame -house in whioh
Gen. Grant was born at Mt. Pleasant, O.,
in 1822. The show case house and the little old frame It encloses were presented
to the fair grounds' dlreotors by Gen.
Chittenden, of Columbus, at an expense
of several thousand dollars, and proved to
be one of the most Interesting sights to
all visitors. The little house has but two
rooms, one of which oontalns an old secretary bureau, the cradle in which the infant General was rocked, a small oup-
board and an old trnnk. The bed room is
only 7%x20 feet, and the other room is
only about 13x20; a very small placo ln
which to start so great a man.   Outside ls
the mill and part of the "sweep used by
young Grant in grinding bark for his
father's tan yard.
One of the attractions at the fair was
the firing of a new kind of bomb, that
sends up a little, tightly wrapped package, a thousand feet or so in the alr,where
it ls mado to explode, by means of a time
fuse, and opens out into the form of some
animal, fish or bird and comes floating
gently down, to alight somewhere in tbe
grounds. It was a novel and pleasing
sight, and added muoh to the Interest, not
of the young folks alone.
In the city fire works and rope-walking
made the evening pass pleasantly to the
thousands who remained over right
We found Secretary Miller, Superintendent Hale of the Agricultural hall,
Superintendent Kllis of the Stook department, and other ofiioers courteous and
elliaient in their several departments.
The County displays, nine ln number,
were arranged with much care, and excited a large 4hare of the attention of the
crowds. One of them had 25 varieties
eaoh of yellow and white corn. Wheat
varieties were less numerous. Vegetables
of all kinds wero in abundance.
The apple orop is not large in Ohio this
fal), but the display on the fruit tables
was fairly good. Pears were few, peaohes
almost none. A fine plum, we saw in
two of tbe collection., called Union
Purple, would show well besides those
from California.
The Experiment Station of the State,
among otner things, made a valuable display of apples from trees sprayed and
not sprayed, from which it is easy to believe that spraying pays well when done
well.
In one of the implement pavilions we
notioed a model of the frame of a big farm
barn that, aocording to the placard attached, was built at Purdue University,
entirely of plank, at a great saving in
lumber and labor. We presume lt will
be at our State Fair next week. It ought
to be, and all Intending to build farm
barns-should study lt carefully.
All the Stock departments were full.
Particulars will be given in our Stook
notes.
Poultry of all kinds, and incubators,
brooders and other appliances were ln
overflowing abundance. So fences and
fence-making machinery, and wind
wheels and mills. Other machinery did
not abound ss profusely.
Our poultry accomodations rather excel those of the Ohio fair, In size and convenience.
If you ever get a ohance to see a stone-
crusher at work, chewing np its favorite
diet, don't miss the opportunity. It will
amuse aud surprise you. We saw one
tbat made no more of a limestone rook as
big as could be fed into its big jaws, than
a boy would of an apple. It minoed up
stone into pieces, two or three Inches
each way in size, as fast as a man could
feed tbe big pieces into it. It masticates
125 to 150 tons ln a day. With sneh a
machine and plenty of broken limestone
there would be no trouble in having good
roads everywhere.
Secretary Wilson of the U. S. Agricultural Department addressed the farmers
on Thursday, p. m. His speech was full
of good points, and we intend to make
several ex traots from it for a future nnmber.
The railroads In Ohio gave speoially
low rates two days of the fair, about one
oent a mile, that helped very greatly ln
making the fair successful, The attendance on Thursday was estimated at 25,-
000. On Friday It was perhaps three
times as large. Weather was fine both
days. President McKinley was present
that day, by special Invitation of the
Board. The fair was financially, as well
as in most other respects, entirely successful.
Call on us at State fair.