The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-07-18
Level culture Of Potatoes. :

Level Culture Of Potatoes.
Farm Manager gives his method Of
raising potatoes. 1t is excellent in the
main. but if he will allow me, I will
suggest how an improvement could
probably be made in one particular
He says: II cultivate often and care
fully, both ways, until the blossoms be-
gin to appear, when we hill them up
with horseshoe or shovel-plow, max
ing as high and as broad . hill as we
conveniently can"
Now. will he please tell us why he
makes such high broad hills, and why
his cultivation ceases at blossoming
time? By changing his practice little
in these respects l think he could add
considerably to his average yield. if his
soil is suitable, and it would seem as
though it must be pretty good potato
soil from the crops he raised. Thirty
years ago. when was small boy, l
used to bill potatoes in my fathers gar
den in New York. just as Farm Mana
ger does now. My father used to insist
on my making the hills large and dish
ing so as to ''catch the rain" When
l began farming remembered the les
son, and noticed also that other people
hilled their potatoes, and | did like
wise. Ii l had been asked why did
so, should certainly have preached
the .'catch the ran" theory, with per-
feet assurance that it was sound doc
trine Furthermore, stopped Guilt
waiting when the blossoms began to ap-
,.o,r hoo,,s, othar farr,orc did and
because they said it would make the
potatoes set again. Now, l have not
only discarded shovel-plows entirely,
but keep the cultivator going without
regard to blossoms as long as horse
can get between the rows, and often
times after the vines touch each other.
The habit of killing probably came
from the necessity of keeping the tubers
out of water on land that was too wet
ION such land it may be necessary yeti,
or else from planting in q shallow
hill up to prevent the tubers from be-
ing burned by the sun. can think of
no reason why reasonably shallow cul-
tivation should stop at blossoming-time,
unless some one wanted an excuse for
doing as little work as possible. Hills
are made broad and dishing to catch
the rain, suppose, on tbs supposition
that the roots of the potato are all
right under the hill, and that they want
water there. What are the facts?
Farm Managers potatoes. planted three
feet apart each way, if the soil is
drained and reasonably fine and mel
low lit probably is to bring the yields
he has had), before they are full
grown, will send roots across between
the rows in every direction in search of
food. If he will take pains to carefully
wash ont a thrifty hill 1 think he will
be surprised to find how completely the
little roots occupy all the ground be-
tween the rows. The roots, of course,
are mostly in the lower part of the
plowed ground. There will be few
near the surface. If the surface of the
ground is kept level, or nearly so, 3
shower soaks in all over alike, and each
root gets its share. They want the rain
Just as much between the rows as in the
hills. If the potatoes are planted
moderately deep, as f. G.. has so per-
sistently (ani correctly, as think) ad-
vised in your columns, and the surface
is nearly level. and kept constantly
stirred, the crop is in the best shape,
not only for catching rain, but to en-
dure hot. dry weather--o of its great
est enemies.
During such weather, cultivation,
moderately shallow, so as not to injure
the roots (say two inches deep, may be
kept Up without regard to blossoming
time, and with great advantage to the
crop. Two inches of fine, mellow earth
on the surface help greatly 70 check
evaporation and to keep the ground
moist and cool where the potato roots
are, as it needs to be for the best results.
Suppose one hills up his potatoes with
the shovel-plow. what does he do? He
piles the mellow earth. which should
make mulch all over the surface, up
about the hill. This is well, perhaps,
if he could get as much more to put in
between the rows again, but instead he
leaves this space (where a part of the
roots are), bare, hard and exposed to
the hot sun. If he should cultivate it
again he would injure the roots, which
are now near the surface, and the soil
IN the hills Will certainly dry out more
than if il were down nearly level and
protected by mulch of fine earth. On
undrajned land, in a very wet season, a
part of the water might run off to ad-
vantage, perhaps, if the potatoes were
hilled up but il would be better to
underdraiu, plant deep and not hill much
Il like to throw a little earth into the
hills with horse hoe). as one would
then have chance TO get the best pos
sible crop without regard to the season.
We are having very hot, dry time
here now June 81, and l am using a
slanting board, attached to the rear of
the cultivation, which pulverizes and
smooths down the marks LETT by the
teeth of the cultiyator. Thus we give
the surface good stirring and press it
down fine and nearly level again
Country Gentleman.