The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-06-13
Planting Potatoes.

The potato Is one of the important
crops of the farm, and one which under
ordinarily favorable circumstances can
be grown with as little trouble as the
average of crops. Within the past few
wears, or since the advent of the Colorado
beetle, cultivation has been attended
with more trouble because of the extra
labor required to destroy the beetles or
their larve. The last season was an un-
favorable season because of blight that
largely affected the crop, reducing it in
the aggregate amount very much. With
proper care potatoes can be grown upon
almost any soil that is reasonably dry,
and that is possessed of fair fertility, al
though sandy loan is usually prefer
able. This vegetable will usually sue
ceed fully as we'll and probably better
upon a soil that has been devoted to pas
turage for some time. 1t seems to thrive
best when Obtaining a share Of its
nourishment from an old sod, and another
important consideration is that with such
conditions the tubers are usually cleaner
and smoother than when grown upon
old land or that has been under previous
cultivation for little time.
Potatoes will seldom do we'll if planted
upon the same soil for succession Of
years; the tendency is to roughness and
scabb;ness. The soil, as before sug-
gested, should be fairly fertile, and any
Supposed deficiency should be provided
for by an application upon the surface
after ploughing, which should be to
depth of six or eight inches, and then
thoroughly Incorporated with the soil by
means of narrowing. One important
point to be secured, is a light soil, as
the potato will seldom thrive in one that
is contract and hard. Il this condition
cannot be secured by the usual tillage of
the soil, it should be provided for by
other means, and one of the best is to
use some coarse strawy manure placed
in the furrow with the seed.
After the surface is made mellow by
sufficient narrowing, the field should be
furrowed to mark the rows, and these
furrows should be made to good
depth, as we believe, all things con-
sidered, that it is better to plant to
considerable depth. We have consider
able faith in home manure for potatoes,
having always secured good and satis-
factory results from its use. Sometimes
it has been strewn in the furrow and the
seed dropped upon it, and sometimes
the operation has been reversed. Our
practice has for some time been to cut
fair sized potatoes to two or three eyes
and drop single piece for a hill, the
pieces being dropped about one foot
apart in the row; as sort of stimulant,
small quantity of superphosphate may
be dropped by the side of each hill, and
if the soil is free from stones the cover
ing may be done by the use OF the
plough.
Ashes are recommended very highly by
some in the planting of potatoes, but we
are compelled to say that our experience
has not encouraged their use,. but this
may have been because of some peculiar
ity of the soil. As soon as up the'potato
crop should be hoed and kept clean of
weeds or grass; there is nothing that
will affect the growth of the tubers more
than thick growth of weeds in the
rows. Clean culture is always to be rec
commended, but with potatoes it seems
to be an absolute necessity. y.-NeW York
OJserCcr.