News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-04-27
THE POTATO CROP,
Interesting Notes About Potatoes

| o." wy nO'0 PoUauoes upon square
rod OF land. Nine farmers. many Of
whom L 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 Weld
largely, but were unfortunate in getting
it, as the first lot was chilled in trans
portation, SO that they terminated
slowly, though many of them ultimately
sprouted. The next shipment went as
rtay, and werereceived very late in DAM
aged condition. All MANFRED 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 4" fofty.two pounds
to the rod of very small, poor potatoes, u
or one hundred and twelve bushels per
acre. The editor says: "The most val
liable conclusion that can be drawn from
this trial seems to be that commercial
fertilizers are safer than stable manure
for growing potatoes" Also, that 8"
rank growing variety" will give cas-
large and better yields under ordinary
open-feld culture as close planting in
garden beds"
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 Littlefeld
has succeeded in raising very extraor-
binary crop. They were very large,
smooth and handsome" and they award
ed him first premium on his crop of All
bushels per acre.
For the information of those who NAV
wish to know how it was done, l will
copy the Statement of Charles 6. Lit
tlefield, East Bridgewater. Crop of 1878
and 1880: Corn receiving a liberal
dressing of stable manure each year
soil, sandy loan crop of 1881 MANFRED
with two cords stable manure, worth
$l6; plowed once, nine inches deep; 200
pounds of Bradley's phosphate in the
hill, worth $3.50; planted May 5, in
rows 81 inches by Is inches, with foul
bushels Early Rose potatoes, worth 81;
planting and applying Paris green,
81 LOS; blowing, IS cents; amount Of
crop, 110B bushels, at cost of % cents
per bushel."
As most of US in Massachusetts would
like to be able to raise good potatoes al
that cost, it will be well to notice the
main features, land in good condition,
well-dressed again and plowed deep and
planted very closely. There seems tc
be no charge for cultivation, but I pre-.
sumo it was we'll cultivated, and this, il
figured, might have added two or three
cents per bushel to cost of crop.
SWEET POTATOES.
Mr.. W. W. Rathbone, Marietta, o.,
raises forty acres of sweet potatoes an
nually, and has made the crop special
study for many years. With him il
natures as quickly as maize, and he be.
lieves that it can be proftably grown
much further north than is generally
supposed, or wherever any variety Of
corn will ripen." OF his method of cul
ture he writes as follows in the F5ui,
Recorder, with added reflections about
cooking and canning:
81 plant on ridges % to 3 feet
apart from centre to centre plants
set from IS to "a inches apart on the
ridge. Why have a ridge? Simply to
give the plant more sunlight and dry
ness. After every shower that forms 8
crust I pillow with three-shovel pillow
constructed especially for the work
This pillow has two small shovels on the
outer shafts that scrape down the crust
and little weeds, while a third and very
large shovel attached behind to cen
tre-beam Immediately heaves it up again,
thus doing all the work at once passing,
that l have seen men passing three
times through with the old cultivator
and single shovel to perform. Thus I
| pillow and hoe after every rain, that there
shall not be single weed to take any
sunlight from the plants. AS soon as
the vines can cover the ground, let tn.
drouth come. The sweet potato can
stand it if any plant can. In fact,
L want to see just such sunny days as
do wilt the leaves then I expect extra
richness in the tuber. To raise the
Irish potato to perfection, mulch. To
get rich and ripe sweet potato, give
it all the sunshine possible. It is just
here SO many fail in sweet potato cul-
ture.
eff lived in New York or Maine or
Cana da I should make sweet potato
hills on thin soil, as far apart as those
of corn, in order to give the plants more
sunlight when nearing maturity. With
us, most people err in selecting land
too rich, then plant to closely, and the
tubers are missing, having, however, a
large crop of vines. The past season
was the most unfavorable for starting
a crop spring late and wet, the ground
cloddy, the most persistent drouth for
thirty years; yet, by actual measure
ment my crop fell short on forty acres
only 16 per cent. There is one pecu-
liar property about the sweet potato
cook and recook it and you do not de-
stroy its flavor. Properly cooked, it is
steamed or boiled-the former preferred
until nearly done, the skin removed
while hot, split in two lenthwise, and
baked in quick oven till brown. These
halves are also delicious when fried in
butter. And now tally one for Kansas
the first State to find company of
men having brains enough to see that
| canning sweet OotatOas would Drova