Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-07-27
HOW TO PREPARE THE SOIL

HOW TO PREPARE THE SOIL
Is so we'll understood by our farmers gener-
ally, that it seems superfuous to mention
the subject at all, but will say that if you
have deep soil, plow deeply, and pulver-
ize thoroughly.
THE VARIETIES TO SELECT
think may safely be left to the Judgment
OF each farmer. Different persons obtain
different comparative results in trial of
some of the leading varieties. | will ven
ture to say, however, that if you want
very early potato, know Of none that will
give better satisfaction than the Early Rose.
Ii you want potato to sell to parties who
care but little about the quality provided
they can get them cheap, think the Peer
less is decidedly preferable. But in Justice
to this variety, [ will say that some of our
farmers claim that with them the quality is
fair; but with ME they have been inferior to
most of the other popular varieties. But
think this potato will yield more bushels to
the acre than any other now in general cul-
tivation in this Territory. It you want
very good potato for family use, have no
hesitation in saying that the New England
Seeding is superior to any other variety
with which [ am acquainted; but that it
yields sufficiently well to be profitable
market variety [ am not SO certain.
WHAT KIND TO PLANT
cannot be answered without treading on
somebody's toes, as quite a number of expert
enced farmers affirm that they have obtain
ed as good, and in some cases even better
results from planting small potatoes than
from medium or large-sized ones while
others with equal experience affirm that
medium or large-sized potatoes are the best
small tubers is open to serious objections.
[ have not experimental with the large and
small potatoes sufficiently to form correct
estimate Of the difference, if any, in yield,
quality or size, but | know it is law well
established in the vegetable kingdom, that
like produces like. do not mean that the
offspring will resemble the parent in every
particular. but it will resemble it more than
any other variety. Such being law of the
vegetable kingdom, from which, so far as
we know, there can be no departure, it is
apparent to me thatwe need not expect we'll
developed tubers from small or imperfect
ones. This deterioration may not be fully
realized the first season, but in my opinion,
its full realization is only question of time.
/ would therefore recommend the planting
Of medium or large-sized and Mell-deyelop-
ed tubers.
Whether thew ShOuld he n1antad
WHOLE OR CUT
is question which seems to be agitating
the minds of farmers in the East, but in
view of the enormous size to which they
grow in this Territory, am of the opinion
that it is better to plant them cut. Whether
the pieces should be cut large or small is a
subject in which perhaps there may be some
difference of opinion, but in view Of the fact
that the young sprouts, until they are well
out of the ground, and their leaves expand
ed, draw their whole nourishment from the
seed, seems to me to be good reason fol
having the pieces cut large. If the pieces
are too small, it is evident that the young
sprouts must pass through this period OF
| their growth in starved condition, which
no amount of fertility in the soil will after
ward enable them to overcome. In passing
over field of potatoes during the early
period of their growth, always observe
| whether they are even or uneven-somt
4 large and some small. If uneven, excep
l when produced by some difference in th,
e soil, I usually attribute either to differenc,
l.