The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1863-02-26
NO l3
From the Boston Cultivator
Cultivation Of Potatoes.

- Ol6lO00s
The immense losses sustained each
year throughout our country by tho de-
struction Of the patato crop, have led
many to investigate the subject with =
view to prevent its ravages, your cor
respondent among the number. Not
wi,hstanding the experiments Of writer's
and the nostrnms OF qnacks, we seem a.
far from the cause as ever. Nv own
experience lead. TO the belief that the
disease is produced by the same causes
which occasion rust IN wheat. viz. warm
mHrgv weather, with sunshine and
showers intervening. Potatoes planted
under an inverted prairie sod do not
rot, neither are they SO liable to disease
il planted on sandy .oil--never rott;ng
according 70 my experience, II planted
very early, and dug by the middle Of
July. Neither ti.ey are liable 10 be af.
tected if planted very latc-trom the
last Of June to first of July.
I In my opinion. one reason that tic
Mercer or Neshannoek is SO much moro
liable to rot than any Of the later varie-
ties, IS because, being planted at the
same time will them, its earliness brings
it forward about the time that we are
apt to have close, .howery weather,
while the later varieties have not lie.
come sufficiently grown to be affected,
except III extreme cases. IN fact have
had MERGERS escape, and later ones
badly affected, upon crop planted in
March. because the MERGERS were
naar', ripe, and The others in full growth.
This occurred about the middle Of July.
/ 1860, the land being prairie, the third
year from breaking. Ny practice is to
plant as early in the spring As the ground
can be wor.,rd-"f.en in March
irg deep to keep from rot. The present
season my early crop was marketed in
July, perfectly sound, and my general
crop gave rue about so bushels Of large
potatoes per acre-,he vines having
, been killed, and the latter setting de-
stroyed, leaving the first setting and
the better -matnred tubers in the hills,
intact, were they remained perfectly
; sound until they were dug in the fall.
: and so they still remain. These were
Mercers. Early Yorks gave me nearly
; double this v,cll, because they ripen
; sooner than Mercers on clay soil. and
u..ce rersa on sand And nv advice is,
IN order TO Get fair crop Of sound pn-
J tatoes, plant early on sandy soil Of esrly
varieties, AMI do not neglect to apply
wellrotted manure, for fear Of losing
crop. prefer to spoil horn or make
, \ spoon. 1t may appear that 90 to 100
: bushels of potatoes bnt poor crop;
bn. III q season like the last, y hen many
farmers have not saved their seed, il 10
/, no, BY any means to be laughed At.
TIE cultivation Of DO, atces, with me-,
Is \ simple affair. After preparing the
; land, mark out slight, straigh. tnrrows,
: drop lhe>se's, stepping upon each ore,
then cover with q winged shovel plongh
! by going once through the middl
q between two furrows, which half cevefs
n two rows at once !; thus once through
> and back will cover row perfectly and
: half cover two rows more, leaving tho
y covered rows slightly ridged up, and SO
J on to the end Of the piece. The after
7 cultivation consists in continuing to
Y plough them with same instrument until
they fairly bloss III, and it the grounl
should become very much packed, after
y wards snhsoler may be run between
the rows. which will lift the earth with.
out destroying the ridges. When ripe.
dig with a potato plough, which vii;
n throw them out As fast as two horses
can walk. This, Of curse, is not apIi.
cable to lanI filled with stnmps and
stones, but Of snch, we luckily have bnt
= little in the West. ILLlKI.
. Riverside, ILL.,, Dee, 80, 1862.