The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1877-03-22
Talk About Potato Planting.

Joseph Harris, autnOf OF w dlhs
and Talks on tie Farm" gives long
and useful "Talk" on Growing Pota.
toes, in the 1merscan AgriculturiSt
for March 1st, from which we extract
the following:
Last year planted thirteen acres
OF potatoes of different varieties, in.
Guiding Early Rose, Early Vermont
Snowflake, Brownell's Beauty, Comp
toms surprise, Genesee King, Jones
No. 4, and Thorburn's Late Rose. And
the Deacon, in the adjoining field
planted Peachblow, Peerless and Late
Rose, but the Peachblow and Peerless
were hardly worth digging.
ain nv field the Late Rose gave the
largest Weld, but the Early Vermont
on the whole, was the most satisfac'
tory crop. The potatoes were more
uniform in size. We had three acres
yielding 126 bushels per acre. The
Late Rose had not come to maturity
when the drouth and the second crop
of bugs struck them, and consequently
we had great maly small potatoes
Snowflakes did tolerably well, but not
as well as the Nermonts. But it is
not worth while talking about the va.
rieties that did well last year. 1t was
an exceptionally bad season. AS a
rule, the only good potatoes we had
were the earliest varieties this
simply because they had nearly got
their growth before they were serious
ly injured by the drouth and the bugs.
The Early Vermont, planted side by
side with the Early Rose on the same
day, came mp earlier, and made more
vigorous growth. The plants were
stronger, larger and more robust. |
do not attribute this wholly to the va
riety. The Early Rose has been grown
on this farm for several years, without
change of seed. The Vermonts are
comparatively new. Had we got Ear
ly Rose from distance, instead of
planting our homegrown seed, the
plants might have been as vigorous as
those of the Early Vermont.
"'It is not clear to my mind said
the Doctor, that mere change of seed
is so important. know that the New
Jersey potato growers often send
here for their seed, and we sometimes
send to New Jersey for our seed; but
l have never yet seen any positive evil
dence that anything is gained by it.
And them continued the Doctor, zone
farmer thinks it very important to
plant large potatoes, and another
thinks small ones just as good-and
the results of careful experiments are
quoted to sustain both opinions
"sThe thing is certain said the
Deacon, I'VE shall have to plant small
potatoes this year. The spring of 1875
potatoes were scarce and high, and a
great many small potatoes were plant
ed-some not larger than marbles
and yet we never had such great po-
tato crop. The next spring potatoes
were not worth marketing, and we
planted the best and largest-and new
er had worse crop. And so it is ev-
ident that the character of the season
has more to do with the result than
the size of the seed
"The best crop Of potatoes | ever
raised on this farm happened to be
from small seed. But il was bit of
prime light land, in high condition.
The root of the plant penetrated into
the fine, mellow soil, and needed little
nutriment from the seed.
sShall we plant in rows or in hills;
shall we plant small seed or large;
shall we cut the potatoes or plant
whole; shall we cut the sets from the
top or bottom, or middle of the pota-
to; shall we cut the potatoes few
days before planting, and sprinkle
lime on them; shall we plant one or
two sets in hill; shall we plant deep
or shallow; shall we earth mp; or shall
we cultivate on the fiat?
sTo all these, and dozen other
questions which are frequently asked,