Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-04-24
AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN.
Interesting Letters from Hancock
County Farmers.

Interesting Letters from Hancock
County Farmers.
The April bulletin of the State board
of agriculture contains the following
interesting letters from Hancock county
farmers
LAMoINE-The culture of potatoes in
this part of the county receives considera-
BILE attention, particularly early varieties
for the summer resort markets. For this
soil ranging from ligh hit clay to sandy
loan is most desirable. If at all inclined
to be heavy and cold, the land should
be plowed both in the fall and short time
before planting and as deep as possible
without turning up large amount of
subsoil. Liberal applications OF stable
manure, and commercial fertilizers con-
tanning high per cent. of potash applied
in the burrows, will be most profitable.
Ii too much nitrogen is used the tubers
dug early will not be OF SO good quality
and are more liable to rot. For
cultivation start the horse cultivator as
soon as the rows can be followed. II
some of the plants are covered with dirt
as they are breaking ground, no harm is
done. When four or five inches high go
through with hoe, and stir the dirt all
around the plants. AS the tops increase
in size set the cultivator to go shaliower,
and il you feel that you must hill them
up make the hills fiat, SO that the showers
will not run off between the rows.
RALPH Z. YOUNG.
ELIswoRTH-Next to bread, the potato
is the principal article of food with my
self and family. We plant only for our
own use. We plough the land in the fall
and again in the spring, harrow well, then
furrow. We put in a liberal amount of
barn dressing, with Cum berland phos-
phate. To cultivate, we take three or four
very bushy birches two or three
inches through, nail plank across the
butt ends, and drag this over the
piece on the first appearance of weeds
several times, sometimes after some of
the potatoes are up. This brush drag we
also use for corn and other crops. Then
we use the cultivator several times, then
the pillow, and hill up. Last year we
sprayed with Bordeaux mixture, with
small amount of Paris green. This took
care OF the potato bugs and kept the tops
green until late in the fall, or digging
time. JAS. Il. CUsHMAN.
SEDGwICK-I think clay loan is the
best soil for potatoes, IL it is not worked
too wet. / would not pillow too deep, but
furrow as deep as possible, and get the
seed down from six to ten inches. Inever
use much fertilizer, as l would rather
have barn manure. The best method to
keep weeds out is to hoe them up and pull
them from among the plants by hand.
In spraying | have never used anything
but Paris green. A. FL. DoRITY.
orlando light, porous soil think
is best for potatoes. Too much clay, es-
pecially II very moist, seems to Invite
fall, no matter how deep. For fertilizer,
there is nothing better than barn manure,
spread ON the land and we'll mixed
in. Plaster is beneficial, and to get the
most benefit from it 1t should be sprinkled
on the seed after dropping. 1t tends to
hni min yiy a rNrn
ventive OF scab. For spraying l have
never used anything but Bordeaux mix
ture, which seems to be effective. 1t
should be applied when the plant is from
six to Gig hit inches high, and repeated as
often as every two weeks.
A. H. DRESSER.
BRooKLIN-For potatoes we deem
deep, iosmy soil the best. We believe in
fall blowing, except on hillsides where
the land washes badly. L have been be-
lever in deep plowing, with good guam
t1ty OF manure, so as to enrich all the
ground stirred. With a limited amount
of dressing, / should say that shallow
blowing would be preferable. l think
potatoes should be exposed to the open
air week or two before planting, so as
to start some strong, hardy sprouts. /
believe in Il careful selection of good |
sized, we'll formed tubers for seed, and
cut in good sized pieces. Potatoes
little ones at harvesting. This is my
experience. l think land should be
plowed twice in the spring, and thor
oughly pulverized before planting. The
more land is worked over before seeding
the better. Use the cutivator often to
keep down the weeds, and afterwards the
horse hoe. The chum from our fish cam
ming factories, mixed with barn dressing,
makes excellent dressing for potatoes. 1
have had no experience in the use of
plaster, but think its use in composing
highly beneficial, on account of its power
to retain the ammonia, which otherwise
is lost. e. p. COLE.
BRooKsvILLE-M potatoes last year
were complete failure. AS it was very
wet spring it made farming late. My
ground was piece of clay loan on a side
hill, nice piece for potatoes. Part of it l
dressed with stable manure, in the hill,
and on the rest of the piece / spread the
manure, and used about 600 pounds of
fertilizer to the acre, with the dressing.
l planted them by hand when the
ground was quite heavy. They came up
nice and looked well when / hoed them.
The bugs got on them and l sprayed
them with Paris green mixed with water,
very weak; then they commenced to die.
A few of them blossomed, and the rest of
them died without blossoming. There
was not one-third of a crop, and the
quality of what there was was very poor.
l.. Z. ROBERTS.
NOTE - Your potato tops were affected
unfavorably by the application of Paris green,
or were killed suddenly by the early blight, for
description of which see article by Joel Rich
ardson. We do not think the light application
of Paris green could have SO injured your
whole piece See directions for applying
insecticides in this bulletin.-Secretary.
DEER IsLE-Those who have tried both,
rather prefer barn dressing to commercial
fertilizers, for potatoes, although good
crops have been raised here when the
chief dressing has been eel grass and
OIL her sea weed. As to fall or spring