The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-05-04
VERMONT JOURNAL, WEDNESDAY MAY 1898
Potatoes: Early or Late Planting9

Many will plant early this year on
account Of the scarcity this spring of
potatoes for eating. In the cities the
prices will be kept down by southern
shipments. Even as early as the mid
die of April, Florida potatoes were
quoted in the New York markets, and
I southern Georgia begins to ship early
in May. But the weather during
April has been so cold in the South
that potatoes have come along very
slowly, and the crop will be two or
three weeks later than usual in most
parts of the South. In some places the
seed has been destroyed, and none can
be got to plant over. This will tend to
help the northern grower. The South
is going into the growing of Irish po-
tatoes more and more. This season
large area was planted on account of
the expected high prices. The state of
Georgia alone has used thirty car loads
of Maine grown seed potatoes. The
| South has one advantage in that Sec
ond crop can be grown from paintings
made in August. Ordinarily, however,
very few Irish potatoes are grown in
the South for home consumption. The
sweet potato is considered 30 much
better, and certainly there are varieties
| grown which are of the very finest fla
vor, but which do not find their way to
the North as rule.
There seems to be an increase in the
practice of the late planting of potatoes
in the North, and it has its advantages
and its evils. In the first place, when
potatoes are put in very early before
the ground gets warm, the seed often
spoils as it has in some southern states
already this year. If the soil is wet
and cold, and does not warm up soon
after planting, there will be failure in
the early planting. Then it is not easy
to give the soil the thorough prepare
ton it needs where the seed is put
in very early. If the land is plowed in
the fall, then plowed again after being
well narrowed in the spring, say the
last of April, then narrowed every ten
days for six weeks, the land will be in
the very best possible condition for
putting in the crop. The weeds will
have got discouraged and given up the
fight, the soil will be very mellow and
just right for growing a good crop of
potatoes. This plan of twice blowing
and then narrowing once a week or 80
for several weeks is one of the secrets
of growing good crops. On some soils
it will do as much good as ton of COM
mon fertilizer per acre.
The objections to the late planting
are, the difficulty of keeping the seed
and the greater liability to the attacks
of insects and disease. The way to
keep the seed is to place the potatoes
in the light early in the spring, not in
the direct sunlight, but where there is
plenty of light. Spread them one deep,
and instead of the long sprouts which
grow in cellars, there will be green
bud, and the growth of this will be so
slow in the light, that the potato can
be cut up and planted without injury.
This method of sprouting is coming to
be widely used by potato growers.
Then as to insects, ETC., they must be
sprayed anyhow, and the late planted
will require very little more time than
the early. Probably the coming way
will be to plant few very early for
home use, and the main crop in June.