The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1898-05-27
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
ACRlCULTURisTs.
Some up-to-Date Hints About Gull
tivatlon OF the soil aud Yields
f-Hortlcuiture. vltieuituro and
Horticulture.


The season for planting the potato
crop depends on location. In many sec
tinus ~ the country only 'he early crop
Is pronmole. and II must be planted as
eaT'T ~ safety from froats Is assured.
In other sections Of the country the
late-planted crop ia by far the most
productive. After the soil has been put
into proper condition. and the season
for planting being at hand (the seiec-
tion OF good. vigorous seed having
been already attended toy the next step
Ia to guard against the scab This Is
done by soaking the seed for an hour
and a half or two hours In solution
OF Corrosive subllmate. made by dis
solving two ounces OF that poison In
sixteen gallons OF water. II should DO
dissolved In n wooden. carthen or glass
vessel. Soak your potatoes in a barrel
or other wooden receptacle. After
soaking the potatoes take them out and
dry them. Another lot can be put In
20 soak In the same fluid. Care should
DO taken that nothing can drink this
liquid or eat OF the soaked tubers, as
this solution 10 poisonous,
II your seed consists OF large. nlco
tuben you can safely cut to single
eyes. but as a general rule two or three
eyes TO the piece gives the best results
not because two or three eyes are any
better than a single eye. but because
the piece Of potato ia larger, thus fur-
nishlng larger supply OF food and
moisture TO start the sprout until II 10
able to draw liz food from the soil
The better condition that your soil
Ia In the finer the seed may be cut. Tho
seed should bo slightly dried after cut
ting, but don't cut long before plant
Ing.
In planting we mark tho ground one
way, az we would for corn. with Sh
foot marker. and plant with an Acme
hand planter. We ondoavor 10 make
the hills "a inches apart In the row.
which makes about an ordinary short
step between hills Some varieties
might be planted rather closer. but u
IA much easier 10 get n uniform step
and plant all alike Many planters
mako n great mistake In crowdlng the
hills. planting them TO ~ inches
apart. They get no larger crop and
q much larger per cent will be small.
Other growers plant In checks both
ways. by feot TO feet inches by J
feet s inches. and then cultivate both
ways. This method will produce about
AZ many bushels per acre upon some
soils. but upon heavy soils tho roots
will not MI all OF the soil, and there
will be much waste ground This syH-
tenn seems only advisable upon the
light. sandy soils OF the great potato
districts. whore many growers Guilt
vato from 10 TO so acres. by planting
IN this manner much work can be saw
Cd in cultivation.
We consider the Acme hand planter
fho most valuable tool that has ever
been invented to aid the potato grower.
II is cheap, only costing 10 cents. and
IN light and easy to use. with Il n
good man can plant an acre a day. and
aomo claim 10 plant three acres day
when planted 3hx3h. hut this makes
a big days work. One reason why this
method OF planting Ia best Ii that II
puts the seed directly into moist earth.
and, further. II can be used to plant
At any depth from one to Ave inches
deep. But for very early planting that
~ a little too deep. There are other
ntyles OF hand planters that work upon
che same principle as the Acme. but
they are so much heavier that they are
much more tlresome to use. Cultlya-
zion should commence as soon az pos.
slblo after planting Is done. The
smoothing harrow. with flanting teeth.
or a weeder should DO used every few
days, and as soon MS possible after
every rain. first In one direction, then
across the last working. keeping the
surface soil finO and loose. Don't be
afraid 10 keep the harrow or weedor
at work. for you can kill the weeds
much easier before you can see them
than you can after they get good
root growth. II you can keep an inch
Of loose dirt upon the surface all the
time you won't DO troubled with weeds,
and at the same time you are protect
ing the moisture In your soil from
evaporation.
Keep this method OF cultivation up
until the potatoes are up so that you
can see to follow tho rows, then go
through. them with either a one-horse
or two-horse cultiyAtor. set to throw
towards the row. working az close as
possible and as deep as possible. Pay
no attention 10 the plants except as A
guide to follow, covering them up com
pletely II will do them good rather
than harm. After the field has been
cultivated in this manner follow at
once with harrow or weeder, working
thoroughly both ways. The potato
plants will push up rapidly after this,
and from this timo ON should be work.
ed only ono way. The weeder can DO
kept running through them every few
days. until they are 30 large that they
begin 10 tanglo In the teeth. Cultivate
" long as you can conveniently get
between the rows-L. II. Read, in
Farmers Review.