Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-03-20
Raising Potatoes Under straw.
Cincinnati Commercial.

Clnclnnattl COmfneTClal.
While it is not our purpose to commend
this method as suitable for general cul-
ture, we can commend it for 1tain places
and circumstances.
In soil that is gravelly and dry, it is
rare that good crop of potatoes can be
produced in the usual mode of cultivation.
On such soil, however, a good crop can
almost surely be raised by a liberal cover
ing of straw. The complete covering of
the soil keeps u more uniform temperature
and moisture. Potatoes are impatient of
extremes of eithsr.
If one has neglected corner which is
rough and Weedy, profitable crop of
potatoes can be raised on it by giving an
extra covering of straw. The covering
being heavy enough to prevent sproutin g
of weeds, saves cultivation. Potatoes
q )urish all the better for such straw cows
ering.
The soil is greatly benefited and fined
down. In the changes made on Gleneellen
farm, a barn was removed and the site and
old barn>yard were brought into the pres
ent garden spot. The soil had been tramp>
ed when wet for SO many springs and dried
in the March winds until the clay was the
most obstinate we ever met. We had
plowed, and rolled, and narrowed, and
banged the Jumps with the hoe until we
began to think we had caught Tartar.
We had treated it to lonI manure and
short manure, and plowed in til } fall, and
planted to potatoes in the spring and yet
the clay was tough and hard. At last we
plowed in the fall. and early in the spring
planted with po atoes without blowing.
After covering the potatoes with a hoe
| two inches deep, we spread over all a coat
| of old straw about fifteen inches deep.
We looked under the straw in July and
| found excellent potatoes and in abund-
| ance. The cost OF cultivatiDg the crop was
| the covering of straw and as that came
| from the rem aims Of a strawstack which we
| wishe moved, that outlay WAS inconsid-
cradle. The digging of the potatoes was a
| be scratched over BY the chickens, where
they found great amQsement. In d y
time IN the fall we plOwed that clammy,
eloddy spot and found that it had been
converted and redeemed into loose rich
soil. So much for deep covering of straw
on potato patch. In DIR. Harlan's book.
| farming with Green Manures," he en-
forces by examples the lessons o said i'm
| provement by green manures. He follows
this with teaching that straw is worth
more spread on soil than tramped under
foot of cattle in the barn-yard and then
hauled to the field.
| He SAYS: Some years ago I raj ed 90E
bashels of potatoes to the acre by planting
the sets on plowed and mellow ground, a
foot apart. and cover ng them with straw
| from IL to Is inches deep"
| We have never planted closer than 81
inches BY 18 inches, but We agree with DE-
Harlan that we could always raise potatoes
in that manner. if we could only get the
| straw.
DR.. Sturtevant, in the Tribune of Feb
ruary 70, speaking of Requisites fol
Potatoes" saws the best fertilizer on dry
soil is water Again he says, any cause
which checks the growth OF the plant aitel
the tubers are formed, tends to check theli
! growth aud to stimu ate the formation OF
| new tn oers A severe hoeing in mld-seasoL
| will co this. A drouth at this time vii
| have like effect. Continuous growth l:
| is prerequisite to the best crop Now We
| su ggest that these requisites can be bet
ter obtained by heavy covering of straw
| than in any other way. L. n. b.