The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-02-15
AGRICULTURAL.
The New Potato Culture.

more attention than almost any other
srop. Probably every reader OF the
wATCHMAN who has any land to cult
vate, grows more or less potatoes.
Everybody eats them, hence there is
always a market for, them, generally at
paying prices. How to grow the crop
chesply is one of the great problems
of the northern farmer. We have be-
fore noticed the work in this direction
being done by the Cornell Expert
ment Station, and in late bulletin
(No. 1867, an account is given of four
years experiments in growing pota-
toes, the present bulletin dealing espe-
cislly with the crop of 1898 Note these
facts: This is the fifth year that crops |
have been taken off the same field |
without the application of manure or
fertilizer, fopr of these crops being po-
tatoes. There were twelve plats, and |
six of them yielded over 300 bushels
per acre, Zone going to 39S bushels)
and all the other plats except one
yielding above 200 bushels per acre.
Now what is the secret of this? First
there was thorough preparation of the
soil. 1t was plowed early in the spring
TO depth of ten inches. The soil is
gravelly and porous and especially sub
iect to injurious effects from drouths.
just before planting time the land was
replowed with a gang pillow to depth
of four inches, then it was thoroughly
narrowed No high-priced planter was
used to put in the seed, but a common
shovel plow was used TO open the rows,
which were forty inches apart and five
inches deep. The seed was from large
marketable potatoes, and was cut into
pieces containing from one to three
eyes, two eyes being what was aimed
for. The pieces were dropped by
hand, one in a place, about fourteen
inches apart. The shovel plow was
used to cover so that a furrow was left
in the middle of the space left when
the burrows were first opened. The
earth was ridged up directly over the
potato row. After about fortnight
the ground was gone over with a spike
tooth harrow, which had a piece Of
two by four scantling placed corner
wise underneath the frame of the hal-
row and held in place by the teeth.
This was first run lengthwise of the
rows and then crosswise. 1t required
of ., i 10 i 4,
required, and the results were very
satisfactory, as all the weeds which had
started were destroyed. The crust
which had formed on the surface was
broken, the surface was leveled, and all
stones, clods, etc., were left in the GEN.
ter burrows. After the potatoes we're
well up, spraying was commenced with
Bordeaux mixture and paris green, and
all of the plats except two were sprayed
seven times during the season.
Most of the plats received six to seven
civilizations, and this is one of the i'm
portant factors in the experiment. The
growing OF potatoes without fertilizers
requires four conditions to be carefully
observed: l. Deep and thorough
blowing and thorough narrowing. @
Early planting. 8. Frequent spray
ing with Bordeaux mixture to which is
added Paris green. 4. Frequent cult
walton. If the soil is too wet, slight hill.
ing with shallow planting may be best,
but on all soils liable to drouth level
culture should be used. BY early
planting is meant at Cornell Qthaca
N " the first or second week in May
AS to the yields, in 1896 eight plats
treated in the way above described
yielded as follows: 37S, Ais, $40, Ala
304, 81, $50, $50 bushels. In 1897 the
yields from twelve plats was: 1884, 357
349, 1876, 2SS, 234, 305, 347, 800, 81
bushels. The last census gives the
yield per acre in New York as 68 6
bushels. In 1895 a most excellent
year for the crop, the yield was ~
bushels per acre. How much do Yer.
mont farmers get from an acre2 The
gross receipts from all plats at Cornell
in 1896 was $50 per acre. Within ar
acre of the University farm fsrme,
planted on better soil five acres in the
ordinary way, and his gross receipts
per acre were $751; The land on which
these experiments have been carried
on is not only gravelly but also stony
In Bulletin 100 photograph of the
field after the potatoes that year were
dug shows heaps of stones piled ur
ready to be drawn off, while there are
plenty left upon the ground.
This experiment is to be tried ON 6
large scale all over the state of New
York next season. There is no reason
why Vermont farmers should not try
the same experiment. Select felt