Connecticut western news., 1882-04-12
THE POTATO CROP.
Interesting Notes About Potatoes.

Tn late number of the Neao Enalarso Farmer find a report of contest be tween the members of the Farmers Clut of Franklin, Mass, in seeing who could grow the most potatoes upon @ square rod of land. Nine farmers, many oi whom know personally as very skill, full cultivators of the soil, are reported as trying their skill. They sent for a fancy seed which was expected to yield largely, but were unfortunate in getting it, as the first lot was chilled in trans portation, so that they germinated slowly, though many of them ultimately sprouted. The next shipment went as- rtay, and werereceived very late in dam. aged condition. All manured literally, and gave good cultivation, and the best yield was four hundred and fifty bush- els per acre, of which about one-eighth were unsound. From this they ran down to yield of "forty. two pounds to the rod of very small, poor potatoes, 7" or one hundred and twelve bushels per acre. The editor says: "The most val uable conclusion that can be drawn from this trial seems to be that commercial fertilizers are safer than stable manure for growing potatoes" Also, that "a rank growing variety" will give "as large and better yields under ordinary open-feld culture as close planting in garden beds."
 I would also suggest that other les. sons may be learned, and among them that farming is not an exact science. that as "the race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong" SO the premium will not always fall to the most experienced cultivator nor the most careful, nor to the one who ma- nures the most heavily.
 Nearly all the crops were above the average yield of our potato crop in this State, but the amount of manure used. the variety of seed used and the care taken should have shown better results, especially upon so small an area.
 Right by the side of this I would like to place statement which I find in the last annual report of the Ply mouth County Agricultural Society, under the heading of ''Best quarter acre of potatoes" in the ''Boys' De- partment.
 The committee state that "although the yield of potatoes has been generally quite light this year, Master Little field has succeeded in raising a very extraor dinary crop. They were very large. smooth and handsome, and they award ed him first premium on his crop of Al bushels per acre.
 For the information of those who may wish to know how it was done, will copy the ''statement of Charles G. Lit tleheld, East Bridgewater. Crop of 1879 and 1880: Corn receiving a liberal dressing of stable manure each year soil, sandy loam crop of 1881 manured with two cords stable manure, worth $l6; plowed once, nine inches deep; 200 pounds of Bradley's phosphate in the hill, worth $4.50; planted May 5, in rows 31 inches by IS inches, with four bushels Early Rose potatoes, worth $4; planting and applying Paris green, $2'O5; blowing, 75 cents 1; amount of crop, l103 bushels, at cost of 25 cents per bushel."
 As most of us in Massachusetts would like to be able to raise good potatoes at that cost, it will be we'll to notice the main features, land in good condition, well-dressed again and plowed deep and planted very closely. There seems to be no charge for cultivation, but I pre-. sume it was we'll cultivated, and this, if figured, might have added two or three cents per bushel to cost of crop.