Rocky Ford enterprise., 1895-06-06
Growing and Marketing Potatoes.


Condensed from Farmers Review
stenographic report of Wisconsin
roundup institute)
c. F. Chapman of Peruville, N. Y,
spoke on planting, cultivating and
marketing potatoes. The principal
points brought out were in the discus
sion, as follows:
Q.-Wfll every man in the room that
grows potatoes hold up his hand?
A great many hands went up.
OWN every man in the room that
knows what 1t costs to grow bushel Of
potatoes hold up his hand?"
Only few went up.
Mr.. Chapman-About 1876 I was
drummer on the road. left that busi-
ness and went to farming. At the end
of the first year had made such a sue
cess % at 1t that had to go to keep
ing school to pay the interest on the
debts had contracted. Then I said to
my wife that we would study the ques-
tion some and see II it were possible
for us to make any money. So l began
studying. I got hold Of the statistics of
New York and found the following as
to average yields and value OF the
various crops per acre: Corn, value,
1881; wheat, $12.46; rye. $3.50; oats,
$870; barley, $13.46; hay, $12.37; pota-
toes. $40.92. So said that would take
potatoes and keep at 1t for five years
and II / had then any money l would
continue to keep at it; il not would
leave it. The trouble with most men
is they will go into a thing, and the
first year they have a failure they will
go out of that business and into some
thing else.
Mr.. Chapman then described the proc
esses by which good soil had been
formed in past ages, and declared that
II we did not have the right kind of
soil we must make it. We must follow
natures lead. and select only certain
soils for certain crops The Maker of the
universe does not try to grow cat-tails
on hillside. but Mr.. Chapman knew
oe men who tried to grow celery there.
The best place to grow crop Of po-
tatoes Is on a clover soil. The clover
ppts and increases the humus. The only
difference between desert and a fertile
field is the amount of humus in 1t. CThis
Is point upon which scientists do not
agree. Plants can be grown on soil that
contains no humus. The first plants
that grew upon the earth certainly had
no humus to assist them, for humus is
formed by the rotting of preceding gen.
erations Of plants. Experimenters have
grown plants in soil containing no
F. RI
A plant takes its food only In the
shape of soup. 1t takes thousand
times as much water as solid matter.
(Mr. Chapman makes a mistake here,
placing the amount entirely too high.
In the ROthamsted experiments 1t was
shown that cereals and leguminous
crops exhaled from $50 to 300 pounds
OF water for every pound of dry sub
stance stored up in the plant. Some
crops doubtless exceed this, but there
is no reason to suppose SO great an
amount as 1000 pounds of water Is re-
F. RI Cut of the grape
vine in the spring and see the streams
Of water running out. Read up and see
how many tons of water maple tree
will use in year. So since so much
water is needed for a crop must get
my soil in shape to hold large amount
of water.
To do this I plow in the fall as deeply
a. can. You want deeply plowed soil
fol potatoes. You can't get this the first
year. but should plows little
deeper each year. SO but little
Of the subsoil will be brought
up at one time. Haul out your
manure in the winter and put it on this
ground. Horse manure Is the best of
you can find on your own
farm. In the spring l give it two or
three harrowings. Then furrow three
feet apart, letting the plow run as
deeply and making as wide furrow as
I can. l want to change the condition
Of the soil by changing the relations
of the soil particles to each other. If
use chemical fertilizers 1 put them in
the burrows. Some people say they do
not get any good from chemical fer
t..izers, but that is because they do not
know how to use these fertilizers. They
take a handful and put it in a hill or
ground the stem of the plant Now that
fertilizer being altogether in one place
ant get in contact with enough water
10 make 1t useful to the plant, and the
roots of the potatoes can't get at it.
fhe best way to use commercial fertili-
xeI is to throw it broadcast in the
tround.
An Iowa Cattle Raiser.-Farmers
who have fine cattle for sale can get
good money for them without any trou-
BILE. Last week w. ]. Hartnell, of Lib
erty, sold IA head at an average price
of $5.35 per hundred weight, or $6,16O.
One of them weighed 1 1925 pounds, and
brought $107.80. Just think of 1t! One
steer worth as much as a team of good
horses. At the same time Simon Han
son, of Union, sold % head at an aver
age price of $S1.56 each or $1,794. The
largest sale made in this part of the
state is mentioned by the Hampton
Chronicle, which says that D. w. Mott,
of Franklin county, has shipped from
his farm in Ingram township and of his
own feeding, sixteen carloads of fat
cattle, realizing from them the hand
some sum of $17,695.S9. These cattle
have all been shipped during the past
sixty days, and Mr.. Mott is now feeding
twenty-four carloads more for a later
shipment. The cattle sold have paid
their board in full and have left good
profit besides. Notwithstanding the
large shipments from our state this
year the shortage in cattle supplies at
the four principal markets thus far this
year amounts to nearly 100000 head
compared with a year ago.-Osage
News.
An Incredible Horse Story.-A mare
once committed suicide. She had colt
of which she was more than usually
fond. One day the colt fell into an ir-
riEating ditch and broke its leg. The
animal had Tn he ki,lad and its nother