The Portland daily press., 1895-02-16
LARGE POTATO CROPS.
Good Soils, Good Seed and Plenty of Pot.
ash Fertilizer Are Required.

ash Fertilizer Are Required.
The potato crop grown with the small
est amount of care must yet cost more
to bring it to maturity than do average
grain crops. 1t is impossible to greatly
lessen the cost of potatoes needed to
plant an acre. Whoever attempts to do
this by selecting inferior potatoes, or by
cutting the tubers to single eyes, runs
great risk of losing far more in the crop
than he saves in the cost of planting.
The seed eye makes more vigorousstart
for having liberal chunk of starchy
nutrition in the form of potato attached
to it. There may be exceptions to this
rule, as there are to nearly all of a gen
eral character We have usually planted
four to six bushels of cut potatoes per
acre Those who plant potatoes uncut
require from six to eight or nine bush
els, according to the size of the potato
seed used.
This preliminary increased expense OF
a good crop pays tenfold the extra cost
that is involved. At each further step Of
the work of growing the crop increased
outlay is followed by like gratifying re-
suit This is especially true of the farm
er who not only has money to spend,
but has the enterprise, industry and ex.
eoutive ability required to do the work
promptly.
For a crop that involves so large cost
of seed and extra cost of labor only the
best soil should be chosen. The expert.
enoed potato grower no longer heavily
manures poor land for growing a potato
crop He wants soil made rich by pre-
vious manuring and by blowing under
clover or some other Of the leguminous
renovating crops. If large quantity OF
coarse manure is used to fertilize poor
land for potatoes, it will inevitably
cause blight of the foliage and rot in
the tubers.
The large potato growers now under
stand the necessity for heavy additions
Of potash fertilizers for increasing the
potato crop. It is because stable manure
is generally deficient in potash that it
does harm by making a succulent, IN
healthy growth. The development OF
starch in the tubers is through the
leaves. These are keptyigorous by plenty
Of potash, and when the leaves do their
work well the quality of the tuber is
improved.
Plenty and not too much moisture is
essential for good potato crops. A drain
cd soil, clover Icy plowed under early
in spring and continuous cultivation
until the potato crops cover the ground
will give this condition. If the soil is
drained and the potato foliage is large,
the crop will not be rotted even IN
wet season unless fresh manure has been
applied to it. II the potato grower wants
to draw out coarse manure in winter tc
be plowed under, let it be ON land in
tended for corn. This is a crop that we
have never have seen injured by ma
nure. The potato crop may be.
. One year with another the potato
crop pays the careful farmer better than
any other. 1t pays very large profits
about one year in three and as we'll as
most other crops in the years interview
ing. 1t is a crop that fits in we'll with
the system of mixed husbandry that is
coming into favor, because it gives en-
ployment during the larger part of the
year, explains American Cultivator, au-
thority for the foregoing. Of course, no
matter how the plant may be MANFRED,
there will be no crop unless increasing
vigilance is used to destroy the potato
larva. The use Of -poisons must be
prompt, as few hours delay will cause
considerable loss. It is very rare in a
hot summer that the potato grower does
not have a few hills ruined before he
can stop the destruction.