The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-02-11
A Lesson on Potatoes.

early planting of potatoes leads one to
inquire if there be no means whereby
we can increase the probabilities of q
crop. Potatoes have come to be consid-
cred a most uncertain crop. Here and
there we find a farmer with a choice
piece of light clay land, who uniformly
produces paying crop of potatoes. The
reason for the success in such caSessis
believed to be in the good soil, rather
than in peculiar merits of culture If
we find one in the past season who has
made good crop, it is fair to conclude
that his method of planting and cult
waiting must have credit i--s
There is good reason for suspecting
that where potatoes are not planted more
than two or three inches deep, they will
fail in dry season. We made four
paintings last spring. The first two, of
Early Rose, were made the same day, as
soon in April as the garden ground
would work well. The subsoil of our
garden is clay, and the soil rich and
deep. Five rows were planted in the
usual manner, in burrows three feet
apart and covered three or four inches
deep. Alongside of these we planted five
rows, the same way in every respect,
and then covered them with half-rotted
straw to the depth of six or eight inches.
Now as to the result:
The first planting made good half
crop of medium-sized potatoes. The
second five rows, planted same day and
the same way, except covered with
straw, made crop of large smooth po-
tatoes and very few small ones. The
vines on the first planting dried up a
month sooner than on those planted and
covered with straw. Ua
About the 25th of April we planted on
bottom land, in the spaces in our wheat
where the shock corn had stood. The
ground was in perfect order, loose and
rich from the trash and ashes left after
burning the raElings of the corn stubble
taken off the spaces between the shock
rows. We planted eight bushels of good
seed cut to two eyes in shallow burrows
and covered with the pillow, confidently
expecting. u splendid crop. The pota-
toes were cultivated the same as the
other paintings The crop PANIED out
about twenty-five bushels of very small
potatoes, and many of them having dry
black rot ut one end. ..
Alongside of these we planted three
rows, forty rods long, in shallow burrows
covered lightly with hoe, and then a
foot deep with the remains of an old
straw stack. The result was-no pota-
toes worth digging, since we could not
pillow them out on account Of the straw.
The weather turned dry soon after this
planting and the ground had become
quite dry before the covering of straw
had been put on. Not enough rain
came for about ten weeks to wet the
straw, and the weather became intense
ly hot and dry. The potatoes under the
straw were as dry as bone, two months
after planting. When the time for dig
ging came we found an occasional hill
that had two or three smooth potatoes.
In such places the straw had been very
wet when put on; where the straw had
been very dry when put on the potatoes
had done no good, not more than half
of them even coming up.
From these four paintings the best and
poorest crops came from under the straw.
Had we planted a month earlier and got
the straw on before the ground over the
potatoes had become dry, we should have
had good crop, where by planting late
and covering the dry ground with straw,
so it never was dampened by the three
showers which came between the time
of planting and digging, the tubers
lacked moisture. Potatoes require more
moisture and lower temperature than
was possible under the conditions of our
crop. At the State Fair we noticed the
1o+ Of
by a farmer who was kind enough to
tell us, sub rosa, the secret of that lot of
Early Rose being so much larger, smooth
er and brighter than any others exhibit
ed. He planted early and covered at
once with straw, six or eight inches
deep. He claims that he never fails to
raise good crop under straw, and sell
dom fails in his main crop of field cul-
ture. He advocates deep planting, and
early.
This lesson in potato planting is, not
that potatoes under straw are a failure,
but that in dry season, if potatoes are
planted early, on good ground, and
deep, and covered with straw while the
ground is yet damp, a big crop of excel
lent potatoes may be expected. Again,
we conclude that potatoes on good clay
land, such as our first paintings were
made in, will make a good crop in sea-
sons and with culture that will give a
complete failure on bottom land r'v
A cool, rich soil, not. subject to sud-
den extremes of heat or moisture, is bet
ter for potatoes than1a loose soil with a
gravelly sub-soil. We yet have great
faith in straw covering as an equalizer
of moisture and Temperature of soil about
the tubers, but it must be applied before
the ground becomes dry and hot We
believe it is not too early to plant pota-
toes in February or March, if only the
ground will work well. Fall blowing
will help in potato culture. Cor. Ohio
Farmer.
Hints to TRANSFORMERS.