The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-11-02
POTATO CULTURE IN MICHIGAN

In looking over THE PROGRESSIVE
FARMER it occurs to my mind that it
may be made a medium of valuable
knowledge to it's many readers engaged
in tilling the soil. While it is largely
devoted to politics, reform and Alliance
matters, there appears no reason why
it may not be an experience meeting"
on methods and results. There is
wide variety of methods in practical
farming. No one knows it all. Each
one may learn from others. Surely the
methods as to soil, fertilizer, seed, time
of planting, tillage, harvest end mar
keting cotton, tobacco, truck farming
and other crops, is not the same in all
parts of the South, nor even in all sec
tions of North Carolina.
As a starter, will give discussion
OF potato culture in this part of the
North, Michigan.
It is quite business in Oklahoma,
Lapeer, Genesee and adj )ining counties
situated in the center Of the lower pen
iusuIa.
A few early potatoes are usually
planted in the garden for home use,
but the yield of early potatoes is so very
small that the farmer cannot compete
with those grown farther South.
Usually they mature just as the mar
ket price is broken by the rush of po
tatoes from the Ohio Valley, and ship
ments to the cities do not pay.
For main crop such standard varie
ties as the Burbank, Empire State,
Green Mountain, Rural No. 2, Hebron,
Sc, are chosen. The ground is fitted
for planting about J June 1st to 10Th. Ali
varieties Of soil are utilized from the
gravelly loan of Oakland hills to the
muck swamps and pine sands of Lapeer
and Genesee, though clay is usually
avoided as too uncertain in results.
Glover sod is good; corn stubble is
often used. The better class of farmers,
those who make money and have a
plenty Of tools. turn the furrOW with
a three-horse plow, follow with roller
pole drag leveller, and cutting the soil
thoroughly with spring tooth harrow
and disc cultivator. The ground being
well pulveriz9d, the ground is marked
for planting. Some use shovel ploW
to make light trenches, someuse a one
horse cu3tivator with the one wide
fanged center tooth, some have home
made marker, one horse tool with
shafts and three legs that make two
shallow trenches at a trip, while few
have regular potato planting machines.
A few hand and foot planters are in
use-one man power. The ground be-
ing marked in rows abou5 three feet
apart, one or more follow with bag
of seed cut two to four eyes to the piece,
and drop one piece in place fifteen to
eighteen inches apart in the drill.
These are followed by man and horse
with the cultivator, having two outside
teeth only, set so as to throw ridge
Of soil over the seed. AS the man drops
the piece of potato he steps on it, thus
pushing it into the dirt where the horse
doesn't disturb it while walking in the
drill furrow.
Some farmers run a roller length.
wise over the rows if the weather is
dry, but usually the field is left until
the potatoes are well out of the ground.
The cultivation is nearly all by horse
power, and is quite thorough. II
needed, the best farmers go through
once, hoeing and pulling the weeds in
the drill row. The fight with-bugs be.
gins early and is carried on with Paris
green.
Many go through the field and knock
the bugs off into pan of water with
kerosene oil on it. Some take pail of
water with spoonful of Paris green
stirred in il on the arm and go through
dabbing a whisk broom in the solution
and shaking it over each hill Some
use hand spray pump; the larger pro
ducers have barrel on q cart and run
by horse power.
The crop being planted late is usually
caught by the frost with the tops still
green. After being cut by frost, the
potatoes ere left in the earth two to
four weeks to ripen, else the skin is
easily torn In handling. In harvesting
the crop the extensive growers with 25
to 100 acres will use potato digger,
usually. Others use hooks or forks,
throwing two rows into one.
At this season, of year there is
danger of frost, and a part of the crew
will begin picking up after noon. For
this purpose, horse and stone boat
having eight or ten baskets or crates,
is driven between the rows, the bas