Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-12-21
Experiments in Potato Culture.

! We give our readers this week part
of DIR. Sturtevant's Bulletin No. 10, con-
tanning the potato experiments with
the result: The question of killing,
ridging or level culture for the potato
seems to be one mainly of conditions,
the object to be attained being the
same in all cases. The result of Ger.
tain experiments made this year seem
to add force TO the hypothesis that the
conditions under which the potato be-
comes of the best quality, and most
prolific, are those which secure dry
ness and warmth for the tuber, moist
ure and GOODNESS for the roots.
The examination of the growing pc
tato, the soil being q strong clay, shows
that the tubers under field culture, and
under field conditions, are borne above
| the seed, while the roots extending
from the eye pass downward into the
soil with a depth of twenty or more
inches But few roots are to be seen
occupying the upper and warmer lay
ers of the soil, and, in general, we may
say that, with us, the major part of the
roots passed below the region of soil
which would be disturbed by the ordin-
airy processes of cultivation. In cases
where the upper surface ofthe soil was
purposely kept of friable texture there
was a marked tendency of the tuber to
approach the surface, but in strong
clay soil this tendency was not mani
fest.
Rdging or killing in clay soil brings
the formation of the tuber into that re-
gion of the soil kept dry by position,
aud kept warm by the suns rays. Cul-
tivation with ordinary hoeing has q
tendency 70 furnish . mnlch OF fine
earth that protects the roots that are
below the tuber from the heat of the
suns rays acd checks the evaporation
of the moisture from the soil below the
stirred portion. Upon sandy land we
may assume that level culture will full
| FL similar conditions of keeping the tu-
Der in q warm, dry upper soil, and
forcing the roots deeper into the cooler
| and moister strata below. However
the theory, the fact of expression based
upon this view, have got interesting re-
suits.
Plats were marked out and kept I'M
der different conditions-ridging in
some cases; level culture in others;
ridging and the intervals mulched in
straw, the seed laid upon the surface
and covered with six inches of straw;
the seed laid upon the surface and COW
cred with four inches of sand in one
case, and with six inches of sand IN an
other. In the plat of the potatoes COW
erel with straw we had the conditions
of GOODNESS and moisture for both tuber
and root during the early season of
growth, dryness aud GOODNESS for the
tuber during the latter portion of growth
In the mulched intervals we had the
potato tuber occupying the ridges where
the soil was measHrably dry and warm,
and the ground within which the roots
penetrated protected from evaporation
and from the heat Of the sun by the
mulch.
In the plats covered with sand we
had dryness and heat for the tuber,
GOODNESS and moisture for the roots; in
other words, the most perfect theoreti-
cal conditions that we could devise in
accordance with our hypothesis. The
seed used in these comparisons was the
whole potato. The yield calculated t.
the 100 hills, may be represented in the
following table,
Merchantable
tublrs
Ordinary level culture .............iI pounds
Ordinary ridge culture .............S5ts
In ridges and the intervals mulchcd 90
Potatoes covered with straw .S+f.
Potatoes covered with sand ......lS4
The uotatoes covered with sand yield
Led few small tubers, but the tubes in
nearly every case were large and of
superior cooking quality. We may
state the result of these experiments as
follows: Soil which could raise only a
calculated crop per acre under ordinary
level culture of Sc bushels, under ridge
culture Of 151 bushels, yet under the.
oretical circumstances yielded upon
the same soil at the rate q 333 bushels
per acre.
These experiments seem to nave a
great significance, but there il need Of