The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1900-05-18
Potato Culture.

A very interesting pamphlet on th;,
subject has been published by the U
| S. Department of the Agriculture
written by J. F. Duggon. It discusse,
various points on the subject and give.
the results of experiments. Of course
| all the discussions and reasons VIII,
certain conclusions have been reached
cannot be given in short article, bu
the conclusions, which are the resul,
of many experiments are mainly as
follows:
A rich sandy loan, well drained, is
the best soil for potatoes. Recent,
cleared ground is very good.
Potatoes as rule should not be
grown continuously on the same
ground. One or two years is as lonp
as it is profitable to do so.
Potato ground needs enrichinp
either by the use of barn yard manure
or blowing under green crops.
The best time for planting depends
on the locality, especially on the
amount and time of frosts and rain
| tall.
Generally they should be planted
from three to five inches deep, but not
SO deep for early ones.
Narrowing the ground just before
the plants are up saves much labor in
killing the weeds.
Cutting the seeds few days or a
week before planting is not injurious
If pieces are we'll stored in the mean
time.
The yield from planting the seed or
bud end is generally greater than from
the stem or butt end of the potato.
The eyes on the seed end are the first
to sprout, and are especially important
when an early crop desired. In order
to get the eyes from the seed end on all
the pieces it is better to cut them
lengthwise than cross wise 1t is bet
ter to cut the potato into pieces of
nearly the same size than to have them
OF such shape that certain number
of eyes be on each piece. The pieces
should however be so large as to have
generally two or more eyes each.
If the rows are three feet apart the
hills foot apart, and four ounce pota-
toes are cut into quarters, an acre will
require fifteen bushels.
The total yield or production of sal.
able potatoes increases with the every
increase in the size of the seed piece
from the single eye to the whole pota-
to, but the net yield of salable potatoes
found by subtracting the amount of
seed potatoes and small potatoes from
the total yield increases with every
increase in the size of the seed piece
from one eye to the half potato. Two
eyed pieces give greater net yield Of
salable potatoes than one eyed pieces
quarters more than two eyed pieces or
whole ones, and halves more than any
about the following proportion, as the
average result of many experiments;
100 for one eyed pieces, 124 for two
eyed pieces, 131 for quarters. 139 for
halves and 129 for whole potatoes.
Still when seed potatoes are very high
quarters may be used to advantage,
Large seed pieces afford an earlier
crop and are less liable to produce a
poor crop than small ones.
One large piece is better than sever
al small pieces of the same weight in
hill.
Small potatoes can sometimes be
used for seed with profit in which case
they should be planted whole, but lead
ing growers are careful to select from
medium to large potatoes.
Darkness and low temperature are
best for storing potatoes.
Potatoes must bring twice as much
when dug early for sale as when dug
late, to make it profitable to dig
them early. At the Vermont station
potatoes planted May 20, yielded 1853
bushels to the acre of merchantable
potatoes when dug August %, 234 bu-
shells when dug September 1. 300, bu-
shells Sept. II, and 353 bushels Sept. %
In harvesting it pays to handle po-
tatoes caref,,1Iv M n