The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-08-05
GROWING POTATOES IN MICHIGAN.
GUY E. MITCH
Washington, D. @.

Cor. of The Progressive Farmer.
Just to show The Progressive Farm
er's readers the difference in methods
entailed by difference in latitude, a
crop statement of one of my neigh
bors, who is fortunate in having land
well adapted to growing potatoes and
still more fortunate in being a very
practical farmer, is contributed to
these columns. He is very near the
43rd parallel of north latitude.
A field of five acres was plowed
about the middle of May, 1901. The
preceding crops were corn, wheat and
hay, one moving. Soil is sand, a
drained swamp bed of alluvium and
sand, and a small portion of the field
a sandy clay mixture The field, as a
whole, may be called sand. It had re-
ceived a liberal dressing of barnyard
manure with the corn crop.
The burrows were we'll rolled down
and kept we'll worked with a spring
tooth harrow and disk pulverizer. AS
a fnishing touch, the land was rolled
and marked each way 80 inches be-
tween the rows.
June 18th planting was begun. Ru
raj New Yorker No. 2, for variety;
medium size potatoes cut in two
pieces lengthwise; few larger tubers
cut in more pieces and an occasional
under size left whole. It took right
around eight bushels of seed per acre.
Hand planters we're used, the kind
you drop in a piece, stab the ground,
press it down with your foot, press
over on the lever to release the seed,
and repeat. They do excellent work,
putting the seed down, in soil proper
Iy prepared, about four inches and
make level culture possible. But they
are not the least tiresome tool for the
user. About one acre per man is
fair days work of ten hours.
A heavy rain the 18th delayed plant
ing the last two acres and also rotted
some of the seed in the lower land,
causing an imperfect stand. When the
ground dried off, a harrow was used
to break the crust, mellow the soil
and kill weeds in the seed leaf, an ex-
cellent practice. Later, a Hallock
weeder was used to stir the soil in the
hill and keep the surface well mellow
ed and aired.
Later they were cultivated with one
horse cultivators, the wing teeth being
used at fhe last time through to ridge
the rows moderately one way.
The potato bugs we're thoroughly
fought with paris green. Digging be-
gan October 9Th and closed 21st. All
dug by hand, both forks and hooks,
being used at preference of the work
er. In digging, two rows of tubers
are thrown together and four rows of
tops together. This leaves an open
row down which a horse and stone
boat is driven. On the boat eight
bushel crates receive the potatoes from
the pickers, usually two on each side.
This is the most rapid method of pick
ing up potatoes I ever saw, and the
easiest. The horse drew them to the
pits in the field, an average of about
100 bushels to the pit. Here they had
a light coat of straw and earth, and
were allowed to sweat until freezing
began. Then they were removed to
the cellar. The crop measured 700
bushels of marketable potatoes and
was marketed at intervals up to May,
1902, at prices ranging from so to IS
cents per bushel. After reserving %
bushels of seed, sufficient for family
eating, and feeding the small potatoes
to stock, the portion sold brought
1856, or $91 net per acre. An unusual
cash return for this region. Had it
not been for imported potatoes, they
would have averaged 81 per bushels.
Good thing potatoes we're imported.
The laborers in cities paid enough and
the farmer made enough. II.
Dawson, Mich.