The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-04-09
Potato Raising.

Potato Raising.
paper read before Mt. Zion Grange
No. 1873, Maury county, Tennessee, Feb
rusry, 1875, by p. ii. Southall, ST., who
has raised potatoes successfully for 35
years.
PREPARATION FOR SLIPS.
The yellow yam is the best and best
keepers in this locality. Time for bedding
from 10th OF March to middle of April.
The best plan for making a hot bed
Take slabs or thick plank, make a box
on the top OF the ground any length you
may wish to bed. Let the box be two feet
deep, three and half feet wide, so you
can reach across in drawing slips; also
that 1T may be covered with four feet
boa rds. The best and cheapest bed can be
male by taking stable manure direct
from the stalls fill the box about sew
enteen inches deep let it be packed
down and leveled, then put on four inches
of good dirt or sand which is better. Let
it remain two or three days, before bed
ding, the bed will then be warm; put the
potatoes on the smooth surface, not letting
them touch each other, then cover with
good sand or fine gravel one inch and
half deep. At the first appearance of the
slips coming up, add one inch and half
more sand; let the sun shine on the bed
and cover of nights and keep the bed
protected from heavy rains until slips
are up.
he best place for your potatOe bed, if
convenient, is in your garden on the south
side of the fence, and nail up planks on
the north side of the bed, which will
keep off the north wind, and cause the sun
to reflect the heat on the bed. When done
with the bed, cover and protect the
manure from the rains until you wish to
use it in your garden. The south side of 2
barn or stable is suitable place for bed.
In making a hot-bed never use wster
unless YOUR manure is dry and dusty.
Co ton seeds makes a good bed. In bed
ding with cotton seed, you must wet the
seed and use sand as before stated. New
er dig hole in the ground to make
hOt-bed, like you would to barbecue shoat
and lambs. Instead of burying the pota-
toes in hole, they need elevating that
they may receive the advantages of the
sun.
The best soil for potatoes is sandy, but
az that it scarce in our country, we would
recommend gravelly land, not too rich
nor too poor good medium Onsyehow soil,
the potatoes are better color. If the soil
1
dark. have seen black and yellow pota-
toes in the same row, caused by the soil
| being poor and yellow, and portion be-
ing black and rich. The yellow soil pro-
ducing golden colored potatoes, the black
soil the reverse
PREPARING LAND FOB GROWING POTATOES.
Let the land be we'll broken mp, deep
and we'll pulverized, which can be done
by running two bull-tongue burrows close
together where you intend making your
bed; let the burrows be Deep then with a
good turning pillow double if you choose;
make the bed on the burrows, ike bedding
for cotton: medium sized ridges are the
best; set slips about II inches apart
scrape pretty soon after setting out be
governed by circum stances; if the ridge
gets hard by heavy rains, take small
turning pillow, run the bar on both sides
of the ridge close as possible without pillow
ing up the slips let it remain in that cor
dition several days. then with mold-board
next to the slips you can make the ridges
up all right again; and in cultiyatng and
laying oy the crop never allow the vines
covered up, and just here q great many
persons lose their slips after setting out
The cause they have not been able to
find. Some suppose there has been toe
much rain, other times not enough; some
suppose it is rust. When your slips begins
to turn rusty, 60 in the morning and II
your eyes are dim take your spectacles
and examine the slips and you will find
the cause. You will find thousands OF
little black bugs somewhat resembling a
flea; they are the rdScdls that are destroy
ing your slips.
SURE REMEDY,
Take dry wood ashes can mix little
SCOT with them if convenient take your
| bucket of ashes and a stab broom, or your
fingers, and apply the ashes freely in the
morning before the dew dries off. If the
rain washes the ashes off, repeat again; a
| few apple alton will save your slips; one
may do. Scrape and stir the ground and
encourage the plants to grow, and you
need not pillow up your potato patch and
| put it in corn.
TIME FOR DIGGING.
| Be governed by circumstances. If the POI
tatoes are still full of sap and growing, let
| them remain in the ground as possible, at
| least as long as you can risk them. On
| the other hand, if the potatoes are not
growing or have their growth, you may
| dig sooner.
| If you have cellar, put layer in your
| rooms, or boxes, or bottom of cellar
inches deep of potatoes; thenpour on sand
until the potatoes are covered up; then
another layer of potatoes and sand as be-
fore, until you have put away your crop.
If you wish to keep them in the field or
garden, level the top of the ground; select
| a place n little elegatsd where the sun will
SHINE as you dig carry to the place select
ed sand prepared for the hill and empty
| them out say twenty, thirty, or fifty
bushels in place; take wheat straw frye
is best add pack it on, at least twelve
inches the deeper the better; then cover
imm sdiately, kedrtng no air hole, with dirt
from around the pile, which will leave a
pretty good trench for the water to settle
ia or run off. No danger OF putting on too
much dirt, say SIX or ten inches deep.
Put cut and broken ones all in just as you
dig them; they will heal over and keep.
Never SUI O: dry them, it makes no differ
ence if they are covered With mud whtn
put up. No shelter is requir ed; let the Top
of the hill be brought to a point. If She
tered, never do So until the rain settles the
dirt on the hill.