The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-01-13
THE FARM AND HOME.
HOW TO CULTIvATE AND
GROW POTATOES.
Newly Cleared Land Is Good-Dressinr
Poultry - Winter Quarters for
Hogs-Farm Notes and
Home Hints,

How to Cultivate and Grow Potatoes.
As potato crops are almost as profit
able crop as the farmer can raise, it
is well to take some extra work in the
preparation Of the soil and in the Gull
tivation Of the crop, and I believe
great deal more than is generally
taken even by those who make grow
Ing potatoes q speciality. Successful
growing Of potatoes depends upon
three conditions, viz: good soil, good
seed and thorough cultivation. This
Is also true Of most crops. The soil
should be and must be rich in plant
foods, and also in vegetable matter.
A firm. rich piece of land, ON which
stock has been pastured and fed, is
good and far better than dry, light
loan, or sandy SOIL Newly-cleared
land is good. Old land, long cult
waited, very seldom produces
good results. and the labor expended
In cultivation is far greater. The
ground should be broken as deep as
the soil Or bottom lands, eight inches
deep at least. Harrow and pulverize
It thoroughly, and if it has been pre-
viously MANFRED, let the manure be
worked into the soil. I think the
manure should be hauled on the
ground before it is plowed, and then
It is better mixed with the soil Mark
of the rows three feet apart, about
four inches deep with shovel plow,
and if the ground is rightly prepared
the soil will partly fall back in the
furrow, and will make a good seed
bed on which to plant the seed. Now
we are ready to plant, says the Prac-
teal Farmer Don't plant what you
can't eat. A potato too small to eat
Is too small to plant. Select nice,
smooth, sound potatoes; cut them two
eyes in piece; plant them from AZ to
Is inches apart, one piece i'll each
place; cover them the depth of the fur
row or more; little elevation keeps
the soil from getting hard. Next be-
gins the cultivation. which should be
done as soon as the plants are up Go
over them with a smoothing harrow,
it destroys the weeds that have started
better than a cultivator. and the work
is easier done. Use the harrow
again in a week or oftener, if
the weeds start. When the potato
plants are four inches high, use Gull
tivator or double shovel plow. Don't
throw more dirt to the row than is
necessary to cover up the weeds. AZ
ter this cultivation, give them, if pos
sible, good hoeing; then in week
or ten days cultivate them again, but
don't plow quite so close to the rows.
If the season is dry, leave the ground
as level as possible when you have
laid them by; but if it promises to be q
wet season, take small turning plow
and ridge up the vines; they are easier
to harvest from ridge, as the ground
is not SO hard. There are no grain
crops, the yield Of which can be so
greatly increased by high and thor
ough cultivation and manuring. or
which will yield greater return for
fertilizers than the potato. Cultivate
often, cultivate we'll, cultivate deep
between the rows and shallow around
the hills. Every one knows how to
dig potatoes. OF course digger is
BEST but if you have none, a pillow can
be run ON each side of the row, and
then the potatoes can easily be forked
out