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Gardem. 70L. LXIII ULi I sC" lyuo = INDIANAPOLIS OOT 24, 1908. NO. 43 ii t'DCVlCUCe OCD'tUtlllCllt convenience, but one difficulty with them - that they seldom plant deep enough. THE IRISH POTATO. A Potato Rotation. lst Premium.—In this immediate locality the potato crop is given but minor consideration. This is a matter of surprise, since, with the right kind of soil, tliis crop is one of the most profitable that can be raised in general farming. Potatoes are now selling ou the market here for from 85 cents to $1 per bushel, and they have not sold for less at any time during the season. It may be objected by some that the crop is a failure, and so it is with many who planted but a small patch for family use. However, where the crop is extensively grown and conditions for its success were made most favorable, there is but little cause for complaint. The first requirement for a . good crop of Irish potatoes is a fertile soil. This is so essential that unless the soil is productive it is as well not to attempt the raising of potatoes on a large scale. A rich, sandy loam is a most ideal site. Another matter is the question of moisture. While potatoes require considerable moisture, yet the mechanical condition of the soil should be sueh that this may not be excessive at any time, and a sandy soil has a more perfect natural drainage. Much also depends on the crop that precedes the potatoes. Through a special effort to observe conditions and results I have reached the conclusion that clover sod affords the most favorable conditions for this crop. The tubers revel i.i the nitrogen that is stored in the soil by the clover, while the stubble affords humus and improves the mechanical condition of the soil. A splendid rotation is wheat, clover and potatoes. Each of these crops is admirably adapted to prepare the ground for the one to follow. The sod may be broken either in the fall or spring. Most growers prefer fall plowing where the lay of the land will ndmit of this. Where it is inclined to wash, spring plowing is preferable, but it should be early. The time of planting depends on the location and the variety. The early varieties should be planted as si on as the ground is sufficiently warm and the danger of freezing is past. These include Early Ohio, Six Weeks, Early Rose, etc. For late varieties, Bur- 1 ank, Rural New Yorker No. 2, Mammoth Pearl, Carmen No. 2 and Mill's Prize are among the favorites. The Rural New Yorker is a good yielder and endures dry weather better than some of the others, but Mill's Prize is superior ii. quality. From eight to ten bushels of seed should be used to the acre. Our plan is to make the rows about 3M> feet apart, and to drop a piece every 15 inches. Unless the potatoes are exceptionally large they should not be cut in less than quarters. It has been amply demonstrated at experimental stations that to cut the pieces smaller very materially diminishes the yield. Before cutting the potatoes we give them a two hours bath in a formalin solution, using 16 ounces of formalin to 30 gallons of water. We have learned by experience that this is an effective remedy for scab. It is our custom to plant the late varieties from the lst to the 20th of June. If planted earlier the weeds will make a rank growth after cultivation ceases. Where a large acreage is raised, a planter is a Late potatoes should be planted from four to six inches deep; early ones may be pif. nted more shallow. Even where a planter is used it is best to mark out the ground deep with a large shovel. When diopped by hand the potatoes may be covered with a cultivator and the ground harrowed crosswise. They should be harrowed again about the time the potatoes are coming up. This levels the ground and keeps the weeds down till the cultivators may be used. From that time on keep the cnltivation going. Practice frequent and shallow cultivation. We good yield of Irish potatoes are, naturally rich soils, abundant manuring or fertilizing, choice seed planted reasonably early, and thorough, clean cultivation. Taking the crop from start to finish, there are many other things necessary, but unless the above mentioned factors are present, real success is well nigh impossible. That is to say, a large yield nnd good sized tubers demands the very test of everything as regards the leading necessities of the crop. If for a large field and market crop, v-hen a number of acres are cultivated rnd the lana is in clover or is a meadow or pasture, it ought to be deeply plowed The Indianapohs Market. had ample opportunity, this season, to prove the practicability of this method and were surprised to find the gronnd moist so near the surface when it had not rained for several weeks. A shallow one-horse cultivator is best after the vines get large. When the vines become six or eight inches high we began spraying with Bordeaux mixture to prevent blight and our crop was not affected this season as it was last. The weather being very dry, we sprayed every two weeks. When the weather is cool and wet the interval should not exceed 10 days. From three to five sprayings should be made. The manner of digging usually depends on the acreage. For several years we plowed them out with a large single shovel, but are using a digger this season. We may say then that for best results in raising Irish potatoes, a good yielding variety should be planted on clover sod which has been plowed deep and is loose and mellow; that they should be planted at such a time, if possible, that there may be sufficient rain about the time the potatoes are forming; that the seed should be treated for scab, and should not be cut too small; that cultivation should be shallow and frequent; that they should bo sprayed for blight; that the seed should bs? selected from the most productive hills: and that they should be raised every year regardless of the price. J. R. Heavy Manuring: Essential. 2d Premium.—Some of the very necessary conditions to be met in securing a early in autumn, and then it should be liberally fertilized on the surface early in the spring with good compost manure. After the manure is spread, disk the surface thoroughly and harrow or drag the ground down to a level, mellow condition. It is best not to rebreak such sod land, but work the top soil and allow the soil to remain underside. As the crop is deeply cultivated, this well rotted sod will be brought up and become mixed with the surface as the crop grows. If any othr kind of land is to be prepared except sod, manure heavily in autumn and plow it under to thoroughly rot. Unless such ground becomes excessively packed by an open wet winter, it will not require breaking in the spring. Disk it thoroughly both ways, and level the surface with a drag or harrow. Plant early. That is. almost any locality within the great American corn belt demands as early planting as the weather will permit. Anywhere from the middle to the last of the month of March is what is meant by early planting. If the seed is planted the right depth, all danger from frost will be over bj the time the crop is up. Use good seed of early or medium maturing varieties, and cut to a single eye. Use large potatoes, so as to g« as much of the tuber to each eye as possible, and plant about five inches deep. Make the rows or furrows quite deep, and three nnd one-half feet apart. Plant one eye in a place and drop them from twelve to fifteen inches apart. Covered deeply, it is not necessary to ridge the ground during cultivation any more than what four or five good plowings will do. Keep the crop clean and the soil well stirred until the crop is laid by. For convenience in digging, either by hand or with a machine, keep down a rank growth of wild grass or weeds until the time of harvesting arrives. The best and cheapest way of doing this is to allow a few sheep to have the run of the potato field after the crop is laid by. • As they are light footed, and love young and tender weeds, they will keep down ■ all wild growths and not disturb the potatoes. Dig and market, or store the crop, as soon as the tops die down. They will generally do better out of the ground than in it after maturity, and are not so liable to be injured by the grub or other worms. For rapid work in handling, gather the entire crop, Inrge and small, into the wagon box, and, with a wooden scoop, shovel them out into the cellar or bins, allowing them to roll down a sorting screen that will allow all unsalable potatoes to ■e£<ape between the slats. Some potato growers argue that it is best to plant whole seed, or at least cut cniy in halves. There are serious objections to this plan. First, it requires too much seed, especially when potatoes are dear; and, secondly, it causes entirely too many small and unsalable tubers.. There can possibly be more bushels raised to the acre, but too many will be small. If only one eye, or at most not more than two eyes, are placed in a hill, it has been demonstrated time and again that but few small potatoes will be found in a crop, compared to planting the whole seed or even to cutting into halves. If whole seed is used, the hills of a necessity should be at least two feet apart. So IS is both economy and profit to cut the seed to one eye and distribute the pieces thickly in rows. Underdrained Clay Soil. 3d Premium.—A clay loam will be more sure of a crop of Irish potatoes of best quality year after year. It should be thoroughly drained. Potatoes do best in cool, moist weather, but cannot endure .wet soil. Barnyard manure, scattered broadcast over the land and disked into the ground before it is plowed, makes the clay loam an ideal potato soil. Fertilizer drilled in the row when the seed are planted will co-operate with the manure in making a large yield. If a home market is to be supplied, quality, uniform size and smoothness should be considered first, both in early and late varieties. If the crop is to be shipped, the large yielding varieties may be used to a good advantage. With the labor and time-saving machinery that does its work so well, one should grow enough acres to justify owning these implements. After cutting the potato, it should be dipped in formalin for the prevention of scab. In cutting, either by hand or cutter, two eyes give the best results. Early varieties should be planted deeply, as early as the ground can be worked, and the late soon after the middle of June. Fourteen inches in the row, and the rows thirty-two inches apart, will allow the foliage to meet, thus shading the ground and keeping the roots cool and moist (next in importance to fertility) and allowing room for cultivation. After the first rain a sixty-foot harrow should be dragged over the field to level the Continued on page 9
Object Description
Title | Indiana farmer, 1908, v. 63, no. 43 (Oct. 24) |
Purdue Identification Number | INFA6343 |
Date of Original | 1908 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | United States - Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or not-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Date Digitized | 2011-03-23 |
Digitization Information | Original scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Description
Title | Page 1 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or non-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Digitization Information | Orignal scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Transcript |
Gardem.
70L. LXIII
ULi I sC" lyuo
=
INDIANAPOLIS OOT 24, 1908.
NO. 43
ii t'DCVlCUCe OCD'tUtlllCllt convenience, but one difficulty with them
- that they seldom plant deep enough.
THE IRISH POTATO.
A Potato Rotation.
lst Premium.—In this immediate locality the potato crop is given but minor
consideration. This is a matter of surprise, since, with the right kind of soil,
tliis crop is one of the most profitable that
can be raised in general farming. Potatoes are now selling ou the market here
for from 85 cents to $1 per bushel, and
they have not sold for less at any time
during the season. It may be objected
by some that the crop is a failure, and
so it is with many who planted but a
small patch for family use. However,
where the crop is extensively grown and
conditions for its success were made most
favorable, there is but little cause for
complaint.
The first requirement for a . good crop
of Irish potatoes is a fertile soil. This
is so essential that unless the soil is productive it is as well not to attempt the
raising of potatoes on a large scale. A
rich, sandy loam is a most ideal site. Another matter is the question of moisture.
While potatoes require considerable moisture, yet the mechanical condition of the
soil should be sueh that this may not be
excessive at any time, and a sandy soil
has a more perfect natural drainage.
Much also depends on the crop that precedes the potatoes. Through a special effort to observe conditions and results I have reached the conclusion that
clover sod affords the most favorable conditions for this crop. The tubers revel
i.i the nitrogen that is stored in the soil
by the clover, while the stubble affords
humus and improves the mechanical condition of the soil. A splendid rotation
is wheat, clover and potatoes. Each of
these crops is admirably adapted to prepare the ground for the one to follow.
The sod may be broken either in the
fall or spring. Most growers prefer
fall plowing where the lay of the land will
ndmit of this. Where it is inclined to
wash, spring plowing is preferable, but it
should be early. The time of planting
depends on the location and the variety.
The early varieties should be planted as
si on as the ground is sufficiently warm
and the danger of freezing is past. These
include Early Ohio, Six Weeks, Early
Rose, etc. For late varieties, Bur-
1 ank, Rural New Yorker No. 2, Mammoth Pearl, Carmen No. 2 and Mill's
Prize are among the favorites. The
Rural New Yorker is a good yielder and
endures dry weather better than some of
the others, but Mill's Prize is superior
ii. quality.
From eight to ten bushels of seed
should be used to the acre. Our plan is
to make the rows about 3M> feet apart,
and to drop a piece every 15 inches. Unless the potatoes are exceptionally large
they should not be cut in less than quarters. It has been amply demonstrated
at experimental stations that to cut the
pieces smaller very materially diminishes
the yield. Before cutting the potatoes
we give them a two hours bath in a
formalin solution, using 16 ounces of
formalin to 30 gallons of water. We
have learned by experience that this is
an effective remedy for scab. It is our
custom to plant the late varieties from
the lst to the 20th of June. If planted
earlier the weeds will make a rank
growth after cultivation ceases. Where
a large acreage is raised, a planter is a
Late potatoes should be planted from
four to six inches deep; early ones may be
pif. nted more shallow. Even where a
planter is used it is best to mark out the
ground deep with a large shovel. When
diopped by hand the potatoes may be
covered with a cultivator and the ground
harrowed crosswise. They should be
harrowed again about the time the potatoes are coming up. This levels the
ground and keeps the weeds down till the
cultivators may be used. From that time
on keep the cnltivation going. Practice
frequent and shallow cultivation. We
good yield of Irish potatoes are, naturally rich soils, abundant manuring or fertilizing, choice seed planted reasonably
early, and thorough, clean cultivation.
Taking the crop from start to finish,
there are many other things necessary,
but unless the above mentioned factors
are present, real success is well nigh impossible. That is to say, a large yield
nnd good sized tubers demands the very
test of everything as regards the leading
necessities of the crop.
If for a large field and market crop,
v-hen a number of acres are cultivated
rnd the lana is in clover or is a meadow
or pasture, it ought to be deeply plowed
The Indianapohs Market.
had ample opportunity, this season, to
prove the practicability of this method
and were surprised to find the gronnd
moist so near the surface when it had not
rained for several weeks. A shallow
one-horse cultivator is best after the vines
get large.
When the vines become six or eight
inches high we began spraying with Bordeaux mixture to prevent blight and our
crop was not affected this season as it
was last. The weather being very dry,
we sprayed every two weeks. When
the weather is cool and wet the interval
should not exceed 10 days. From three
to five sprayings should be made.
The manner of digging usually depends
on the acreage. For several years we
plowed them out with a large single
shovel, but are using a digger this season.
We may say then that for best results
in raising Irish potatoes, a good yielding
variety should be planted on clover sod
which has been plowed deep and is loose
and mellow; that they should be planted
at such a time, if possible, that there
may be sufficient rain about the time the
potatoes are forming; that the seed
should be treated for scab, and should not
be cut too small; that cultivation should
be shallow and frequent; that they should
bo sprayed for blight; that the seed should
bs? selected from the most productive
hills: and that they should be raised
every year regardless of the price.
J. R.
Heavy Manuring: Essential.
2d Premium.—Some of the very necessary conditions to be met in securing a
early in autumn, and then it should be
liberally fertilized on the surface early in
the spring with good compost manure.
After the manure is spread, disk the
surface thoroughly and harrow or drag
the ground down to a level, mellow condition. It is best not to rebreak such
sod land, but work the top soil and allow
the soil to remain underside. As the
crop is deeply cultivated, this well rotted
sod will be brought up and become mixed
with the surface as the crop grows. If
any othr kind of land is to be prepared
except sod, manure heavily in autumn
and plow it under to thoroughly rot. Unless such ground becomes excessively
packed by an open wet winter, it will
not require breaking in the spring. Disk
it thoroughly both ways, and level the
surface with a drag or harrow.
Plant early. That is. almost any
locality within the great American corn
belt demands as early planting as the
weather will permit. Anywhere from
the middle to the last of the month of
March is what is meant by early planting. If the seed is planted the right
depth, all danger from frost will be over
bj the time the crop is up.
Use good seed of early or medium maturing varieties, and cut to a single eye.
Use large potatoes, so as to g« as much
of the tuber to each eye as possible, and
plant about five inches deep. Make the
rows or furrows quite deep, and three
nnd one-half feet apart. Plant one eye
in a place and drop them from twelve to
fifteen inches apart. Covered deeply, it
is not necessary to ridge the ground during cultivation any more than what four
or five good plowings will do.
Keep the crop clean and the soil well
stirred until the crop is laid by. For
convenience in digging, either by hand or
with a machine, keep down a rank
growth of wild grass or weeds until the
time of harvesting arrives. The best
and cheapest way of doing this is to allow a few sheep to have the run of the
potato field after the crop is laid by. • As
they are light footed, and love young and
tender weeds, they will keep down ■ all
wild growths and not disturb the potatoes.
Dig and market, or store the crop, as
soon as the tops die down. They will
generally do better out of the ground than
in it after maturity, and are not so liable
to be injured by the grub or other worms.
For rapid work in handling, gather the
entire crop, Inrge and small, into the
wagon box, and, with a wooden scoop,
shovel them out into the cellar or bins, allowing them to roll down a sorting screen
that will allow all unsalable potatoes to
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