Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1898-07-08
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AGRICULTURISTS
Some Up-to-Date Hints About Gull
tivation of the Soil and Yields
Observation-Disclosures, viticulture and
Horticulture
Planting and cultivatlng Potatoes.

The season for planting the potato
crop depends on location; in many sec
lions of the country only the early crop
is profitable, and it must be planted as
early as safety from frosts is assured.
In other sections of the country the
late-planted crop is by far the most
productive. After the soil has been put
into proper condition, and the season
for planting being at hand (the selec-
ton of good, vigorous seed having
been already attended toy the next step
is to guard against the scab. This Is
done by soaking the seed for an hour
and half or two hours in a solution
of Corrosive sublimate, made by dis
solving two ounces of that poison IN
sixteen gallons of water. It should be
dissolved in wooden. earthen or glass
vessel. Soak your potatoes in a barrel
or other wooden receptacle. After
soaking the potatoes take them out ana
dry them. Another lot can be put IN
to soak in the same fluid. Care should
be taken that nothing can drink this
liquid or eat of the soaked tubers, as
this solution is poisonous.
If your seed consists of large, nice
tubers you can safely cut to single
eyes, but as general rule two or three
eyes to the piece gives the best results
not because two or three eyes are any
better than single eye, but because
the piece Of potato is larger, thus fur
nishing a larger supply of food and
moisture to start the sprout until 1t Is
able to draw its food from the soil.
The better condition that your soil
is in the finer the seed may be cut. The
seed should be slightly dried after cut
ting, but don't cut long before plant
ing.
In planting we mark the ground one
way, as we would for corn, with 31s
foot marker, and plant with an Acme
hand planter. We endeavor to make
the hills 81 inches apart in the row,
which makes about an ordinary snort
step between hills. Some varieties
might be planted rather closer, but 1t
is much easier to get uniform step
and plant all alike. Many planters
make a great mistake in crowding the
hills, planting them to IL inches
apart. They get no larger crop and
q much larger per cent will be small.
Other growers plant in checks both
ways, by feet to feet 8 inches by .
feet 8 inches, and then cultivate both
ways. This method will produce about
as many bushels per acre upon some
soils, but upon heavy soils the roots
will not fill all of the soil, and there
will be much waste ground. This sys-
tenn seems only advisable upon the
light, sandy soils of the great potato
districts, where many growers Guilt
vate from 40 to 80 acres. By planting
IN this manner much work can be saw
cd in cultivation.
We consider the Acme hand planter
che most valuable tool that has ever
been invented to aid the potato grower
1t is cheap, only costing rs cents, and
rs light and easy to use. With it a
good man can Plant an acre a day, and
some claim to plant three acres a day
when planted 31sx31s. But this makes
q big days work. One reason why this
method of planting is best is that it
puts the seed directly into moist earth,
and, further, 1t can be used to plant
at any depth from one to five inches
deep. But for very early planting that
70 little too deep. There are other
styles of hand planters that work upon
che same principle as the Acme, but
they are so much heavier that they are
much more tiresome to use. CuItiva-
zion should commence as soon as pos
sible after planting is done. The
smoothing harrow, with slanting teeth.
or a weeder should be used every few
days, and as soon as possible after
every rain, first in one direction, then
across the last working, keeping the
surface soil fine and loose. Don't be
afraid to keep the harrow or weeder
at work. for you can kill the weeds
much easier before you can see them
than you can after they get a good
root growth. If you can keep an inch
OF loose dirt upon the surface all the
time you won't be 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 the rows, then go
through them with either a one-horse
or two-horse cultivator, set to throw
towards the row, working as close as
possible and as deep as possible. Pay
no attention to the plants except as a.
guide to follow, covering them up com
pletely. 1t 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 time on should be work
ed only one way. The weeder can be
kept running through them every few
days, until they are so large that they
begin to tangle in the teeth. Cultivate
81 long as you can conveniently get
between the rows-L. H. Read, in
| Farmers Review.
Pruning Grapes-Brocton System.
| n n I.odeman nenartment of A ori