Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1900-09-21
III HARVESTING POTATOES.
The Average Farmers Best Meana
of Digging and Gathering Them.

The Average Farmers Rest Meana
of Digging and Gathering Them.
Like thrashing wheat with q. fail, the
digging Of potatoes with d hoe has
passed into disrepute among all pro-
gressiye farmers. During recent years
the machine potato digger has been
much improved until today it is used
with more or less success among the
largest potato farmers. 1t will be
many years, however, before the aver
age farmer will be able to find use for
the machine digger proftably. It must
|: be left largely to those who are pro
ducing potatoes on an extensive scale,
says a New England Homestead CORE
spondent.
a9 4 have returned to the spading fork
as the best means for digging potatoes
Under, all sorts Of conditions for the ay-
erage farmer who does not grow more
than about two acres. AS compared.
with a hoe there is practically no COM
parison. One cannot only dig more po..
tatoes with a spading fork, but he can
I get them out of the ground in much
better condition. By being careful to-
drive the fork into the soil just back Of
the hill and bringing 1t toward the hill
with a lifting movement one need not
Hinjure a potato, and he may work the
/ fork as hard as he has u mind to. s
When using the forks. 1t works well
to have two men side by side and have
them, throw their potatoes into one row
with the tops the opposite way. In Dig
ging this way the tubers are by them
selves and convenient to get at, The
tops are also rowed. II gS99s gs$ l$$,
Some Judgment must always be used
in digging potatoes Do not dig SO
many at one time that you cannot care
for them readily. never uncover
more than I can house safely before
night. Sometimes dig during the
fore part Of each half day and then
gather the tubers before quitting. A
potato should lie on the ground until it
is dry, but no longer. The length Of
time necessary for drying depends al
most entirely on the nature Of the soil
provided the weather is reasonably
dry. In sand soil an hour is often long
enough. In moist clay several hours
may be necessary. q. 8.s
In gathering potatoes by far the best
way is to use crates or bushel meas
ures. These can be easily distributed
about the field and after filling are
placed on d wagon and drawn of. I
do not believe there is a better way Of
handling potatoes than by these bushel
crates. 1t will pay every farmer to
own 80 or 40 or even smaller number
and use them In gathering such crops.
With ordinary care the potatoes are
not jammed In the least. They are
conveniently loaded and not difficult to
carry and empty. They also furnish
4 convenient and accurate method Of
measuring Q crop. 0 III
n Favorable localities For Trees.
Nearly every where within the natu-
raj wooded areas trees grow with little
or no care. Although these localities
are especially favorable for tree
growth, favorable situations OF limited
area are not infrequent In what are
generally known as treeless localities.
In many western situations where only
the hardest trees succeed at all upon
upland and exposed places benchlands
and lowlands along creeks and rivers
where the valleys are naturally subirri-
gated are usually well adapted to tree
growth. Such conditions are frequent
IN the valleys Of the Platte, Arkansas.
ECimarron and other rivers OF the
plains.
# In many localities west OF the ninety
ninth meridian and even farther east
much depends upon the selection of the,
site Cor the plantation OF forest trees
upon each individual farm. The Ques-
ton Of the location OF the farm build
ings In relation to future plantations Is
also of critical Importance.
I5s ss s