The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-10
A CHAPTER ON POTATOES.
An Object Lesson TO Potato Growers-Ho'
1.onorAaual Nia1a. - un-aa..aad

An Object Lesson TO Potato Growers-How
Phenomenal Yields Are Produced.
One of the most instructive exhibits
at the Worlds fair was the New York
state potato show. 1t was perhaps
the finest in every respect at any expo
sition. There We're 800 varieties of
potatoes, exhibited by $50 growers, To-
Gated in the % counties CT the state
where potatoes are a leading crop.
These potatoes were grown by contract
N counties that produce annually not
less than 1000, 600 bushels. A progress
sive farmer who saw this exhib report
ed upon it as follows for the Ohio Farm
er. He says:
The exhibit as whole was valu-
able object lesson to potato growers ev-
erywhere, furnishing a solution to the
vexed question, What number of eyes
to the hill will produce the largest re-
turns of marketable potatoes?" The test
reveals the fact that one eye produced tbs
largest potatoes, while three eyes yielded
the largest number of pounds of market
able tubers. For example, on a given
piece of ground planted with but one
eye to the hill, the yield was go pounds
of uniformly large, smooth potatoes,
with no small ones. On piece of
ground of the same size and similarly
treated, with two eyes planted to the
hill, the yield was ITO pounds of mer-
charitable potatoes, and on another
strip, planted with three eyes to the
hill, the yield was 953 pounds Of good,
merchantable potatoes.
The hill tests were intended to show
the possibilities in potato growing un-
der extensive cultivation and revealed
some remarkable results. For instance,
the Early Maine yielded at the rate of
LOO bushels per acre, Dutton' S Seed
ling, which is very large and adapted
to poor soil, yielded at the rate of 900
bushels per acre, and Chicago Market,
574 bushels per acre.
In nearly every instance where a
large yield was reported high grade
commercial fertilizer valued at 50 per
100 was sown, and not infrequently as
much as 600 pounds to the acre was ap-
piled. 1t is only fair to say that the
Early Maine variety which produced SO
enormously, received especial care and
attention. In addition to the liberal
application of high grade fertilizers,
the potatoes were regularly irrigated.
Such treatment of course would not be
practicable with the average farmer,
but it emphasizes the fact that it is not
the cost Of production that counts, but
the profit over and above the cost of
production. If an application of 600
pounds of fertilizers per acre, costing
$12, will add to the yield 100 bushels
of potatoes, worth $50, it will certainly
pay to use fertilizers. W.
h In connection with the foregoing are
mentioned the extraordinary results OBJ
tanned by the celebrated Frenchman
Girard, that are exciting the French and
English farmers today. He has pro-
duced as much as 600 bushels of pota-
toes per acre over large areas. His plan
is, briefly, to pillow 8 inches deep and
follow with subsoil pillow inches
deeper. Of fertilizers, he applies from
to 10 tons of manure to the acre, to-
gether with 900 pounds of superphos-
phate and 900 pounds of sulphate Of
potash, and adds a dressing of 200
pounds of nitrate Of soda.