Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-04-20
CULTIVATION OF POTATOEs.

L.
Iowa ....-........... TO- 24l $50 3 789 52l
CULTIVATION OF POTATOES.
A Kane county, H., correspondent
of the Prairie Farmer gives his man.
ner of growing potatoes as follows:
Raising potatoes is a branch of farm
ing or gardening that few fully under
stand. Most farmers plant just as it
happens, any way to get them in the
ground, and then give them but little
attention after they are up. / will give
you my way of doing this work, and
tell you why do 1t in that way.
/ prefer old land, well MANFRED, and
plowed in the fall, and land that is we'll
drained. Never plant in cold, fiat ,soggy
land, nor in land that is worn out--rock
land is not fit for potatoes. Fall plow-
ing does not need to be plowed again in
the spring. Make the rows three feet,
or a little more, apart, and three or
four inches deep Put but one piece in
a place, each piece to contain two or
three eyes. For early varieties plant
one foot apart in the row, but late va
rieties should be planted eighteen inches
apart. ALWAYS have the rows run
north and south.
Cover the potatoes with cultivator,
leaving Il ridge right over each row.
Just before the potatoes come mp give
them a good narrowing; that will kill
the weeds and leave the ground smooth
and mellow. Just rs soon as one can
see the rows enough to follow them
with q team, pillow with a cultivator,
throwing the dirt on the row enough to
cover it up lightly. In day or two
the plants will show through, vigorous
and strong, and the weeds will all be
killed. Plow often to keep the ground
loose, throwing the dirt to the row a
little each time. Do not pillow after the
potatoes are in full bloom.
| have the rows run north and south
so that the sun may shine on both sides
of the row and keep the ground warm
and make the potatoes grow; the tops
will shade the ground between the hills
and keep the weeds from growing. If
any big weeds make their appearance 1
go through the patch and pull them up.
If the ground was not MANFRED and
plowed last fall the next best thing is
to do it this spring. | sometimes put
well rotted manure on top just after
the potatoes are planted.
This is my way. / have tried it for
several years and always raise potatoes
when anyone else does. | shall plant
eight acres this spring. / have learned
by experience that it is best to plant
late varieties when you do the early
ones. think the early Ohio and the
Mammoth Pearl are both good varieties
for market, as they grow large and that
Is what the people want. The white
Elephant and the Belle are good but too
high in price to plant largely of. Now,
ifyou have better way, let's hear from
you.
At the December meeting of the
Montgomery County (Ohio) Horticul-
tural Society, Mr.. Ewing read paper
on Potatoes, in the course of which he
said:
My way of cultivating the potato is
Il to plew the ground deep and then
thoroughly pulverize 1t, make it as
mellow as possible, then mark 1t both
ways three feet wide and three Or four
inches deep; take good-sized potatoes
and cut the seed end off, for we do not
want all the eyes that are on this end
of the potato; cut them in pieces, Sc
as not to have more than two eyes to
each piece. Often one stalk Tor vine)
Will produce more marketable potatoes
than three or six. | know that some
times SIX vines may produce more
tubers in weight than one, but their
value will not be as much, because
most of them will be too small fot
market. After cutting them properly
drop two pieces in each hill.
| have always advocated shallow
planting, for the reason that large pc.
tatoes are never found deep in the
grouno, but are usually near the sur
face. The ground having been plowed
deep, the rootlets will penetrate down
and draw the nourishment they need.
AS soon as the potatoes come
through the ground cultivate them. /
use three shovel plows. Cover them
all up. This strengthens the plants
and leaves the ground fresh in the hill,
80 that any grass or weeds that may
have started will be covered up. BY
the time we cultivate again the vine
will be high enough to make the soil
meet in cultivating thus avoiding ,he
necessity of using the hoe. The ground
should be stirred once each week until
the new potatoes are formed and set.
There is no danger of cultivating too
deep until tubers begin to form; the
drier the season the deeper cultivate,
and the oftener. The soil in dry
weather cannot be stirred too often.
After the tubers are formed | prefer
not to cultivate too deep nor too close
to the hill, thereby destroying the little
rootlets that run out from the vines to
collect the nourishment the plant
needs. With soil adapted to growing
this vegetable, | see no reason why il
cannot be made one Of the most profit
able crops that d farmer grows
HOW TO TEST A POTATO.
Take sound potato and, paying nd
attention to its outward appearance, Gi-
vide it into two pieces with your knife
and examine the exposed surfaces. II
there is SO much water or 'juice" tina,