The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-08
How / Took the First Premium on
Irish Potatoes.

Irish Potatoes.
For the News.
The first year 1 was beaten by one of
our neighbors, he taking the first premium
at our county fair and the second.
The next year resolved to push him
harder. The land selected was of fair
fertility I sowed to oats and guanoed
literally, which produced a rank growth.
Soon after the oats headed out, 1 turned
them under. 1t would doubtless have
been better if they had been nearly ma
ture when turned, but l then did not
know that il was necessary for green
crops to mature before turning them.
About the 10Th of June l constructed
drills three feet apart and ran several
times in each drill with a coulter thus
forming a loose bed. The residue of the
ground was not disturbed. The potatoes,
which had been grown from June plant
ing the previous year, were cut in the
ordinary way and dropped about eighteen
inches apart. A good supply of stable
manure was placed on one side of each
piece and ashes on the other, deeming IL
best not to mix them. The potatoes were
then covered shallow.
About the time they commenced com
forest to a proper depth, thus retaining
moisture and keeping the ground cool.
Soon after the plants came up l thinned
them to one stalk.
In the early fall they were dug and
housed in the usual way. The potatoes
from seven stalks filed a half bushel. 1
entered them at our county fair and took
the first premium, our neighbor, who the
year previous had taken the first premi-
UNI, taking the second. 1 attribute my
success to thinning, and believe that the
quantity and quality of potatoes can thus
be materially increased.
How I got the Idea of Thinning. Some
years ago l saw in a patent Office report
a statement substantially as follows:
That a certain young man had a piece
of ground which he divided into two equal
parts and let his father have one of them.
Both parcels were planted to potatoes,
which were cut in the usual way.
From some cause or other, not recollect-
ed, the old gentleman cut his potatoes
several days before planting, and, as a
result, they shriveled considerably. Con-
sequently but few stalks, comparatively
speaking, were produced
During the summer the young man fire.
quently remarked to his father that he
would beat him making potatoes, as he
rad a much larger crop of stalks But
the old gentleman says that when digging
time came he had twice as many potatoes
as his son.
The above remarkable difference in yield
was evidently attributable to one of two
causes:
/ 70 some virtue impaired by partially
curing the seed
2 To a diminished number of stalks-a
result Of said curing.
was at the trouble to decide this mat
ter by experiment. which indicated that
the difference in yield was principally. if
not wholly, caused by reducing the num-
Der of stalks. Consequently that if the
stalks from the cured and incurred seed
De each thinned to one stalk, there will
be but little or no difference in the Wells
But l tested this important matter with
only one experiment. 1t should BE- mora
thoroughly tested and exact results given
large VS.. Small Seed.-Large potatoes
nave larger eyes than small ones Con-
sequently they will produce larger stalks
ahd' as a result, a larger yield than small
potatoes
Cutting Potatoes.-Careful tests favor
splitting potatoes endwise. Large nota.
toes may be split into quarters. smaller
into halves. Ordinarily they do best Wits
the seed ends planted down, but I believe
this is attributable TO the fact that a ,ess
NUMBER OF sprouts will be produced when
thus planted.
Transplanting.-In thinning the SPROUTS
pulled off may be transplanted T bava
found them when thus set to WELD wsIf
but never tested the matter by experiment
IN connection with those left to draw
sustenance from the seed potatoes. soma
winters advocate bedding potatoes and
drawing sprouts after the manner of
sweet potatoes.
Mulchmg.-Our climate is too warm for
the potato, especially when planted in
early spring to mature in midsummer
consequently a mulch has important ad
Vantases' as follows: First, to keep the
son moist second, TO keep the soil cool:
third, to prevent the growth of weeds In
Ecuador South America, the finest nota-
toes of the world are grown. The tom
perature the year round is about 80 ,la-
grees, never varying more than depreas
over or under. No mulch required nv
planting about June 20 and muIchinp we
approximate in September or October ,be
proper temperature TO the greatest ax-
tent possible.
FertMfzer.-A fertilizer composed of The
IoloWlhg ingredients may be employed.
AValable phosphoric acid, per cent. i.
potash, III per cent; nitrogen, 8 per cent
N0'CH HuiuI eH POUNDS per acre may be
applled IN the drill and well mixed with
the soil. Sulphate of potash is oo,,s, -
ed the best source for the potash. Rnt
II crop of clover, or COW peas. be nron-
erly fertjlized with phosphoric acid and
potash, turned under al maturity and
followed with potatoes, they win thrive
much better and keep better than those
supplied direct with a heterogeneous ferfi,iz-
er, such as the foregoing formula.
Long Leaf, n. c.