The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1902-01-17

.conside dering some sof our farmers
had with their potato crop is the
season of 1901 3.# "a
II my opinion the two principal
reasons Why q many farmers failed
TO raise q crop of potatoes last season
are: first, that they failed to give
the broper attention to the potato
bugs, and second, that they stopped
cnltivating too soon. One Of my
neigh hbors raised q fine crop Of pota- !
toes in.1901 and he attributes his
success to persistent cultivation and
tosthe proper and timely treatment
OF the bugs. His potatoes were on
ground that had been cropped for
twenty years without any manure.
He claims that cultivation is what
did it. He kept the. cnlti vator going
long after harvest, using q fine
tooth cuItivator and running it very
shallow. ID sold most Of his surs
plus to farmers who were glad TO-
get them ct so cents per bushel. n
NY plan i to plant potatoes on
the best ground 7 have, for the best
is none too good tor potatoes. Con
sidering the mount 'of work il takes
to raise = crop, manure quite heavi-=
" with manure from the COW stable:
for / no longer believe that manure
causes soab, having manured heavi
II for years with good results. I
.plow quite deep and harrow as soon.
as possible to prevent the ground
from drying out. II q clover sod
can be turned under early in the
fall, covered with manure during
the winter. and then 3plowed again
in spring, al. the better. ] think it
is better to use planter provided
one can afford to buy one or is able
to borrow one) rather than plant by
r ~ - ,.F~-
hand as the potatoes will be straigh-
ter in the row and fewer" will be cut
in digging them. ! think potatoes
should be planted duite deep for
several reasons: first, il planted deep
they can be thoroughly narrowed
without. pulling up; second, they
win not dry ont or sun scald so easy !;
third, they Will not have to'be billed lEsl.
much, "a which sSis very ye iimpo rtant; il g
dry Tale a. le', not ]. n planf ls n
,sn1asl ct9ittl but oiIl as y 4 Ter &
5p,ect to ell again. + cut them as g
I near as posi- BE to two eyes 70 the
piece. About q week before planting
/ harrow them thoroughly. As soon
.as the rows can be nicely seen cult
vate them and then drag them again
after the plants begin I to spread.
Use aweeder or even, . horse rake
viii do after each time you culti-
5vate them. In this way the field
may be- kept quite cleen. By this ..
time tho hunrgy potato bugs will
have made their appereanoe and
need close watching. Right here
let,me say is whore most OF the
farmers who lost their potato CT oP
last summer made q sad mistake.
Some Of them: let the bugs have
their way entirely. others prayed
once e. !. or: twice and then got dis
co,lraged and let the hungry bugs
eat their fill and the result was that
the weakened potatoes could not
Withstand tho hot winds and the
parching sun and they dried up long
before they could mature. One OF
my neighbors told me he thought
the bugs would not injure, the po-.
tatoes after they had passed the
blooming stage and that the vines 9e
might be safely cut and made into
hay and still raise 9 crop, but his his:
theory did not work in practice Z as g
he had to<buy his potatoes last fall.
"A few years ago ! talked with one
Of the most sue ccessful potato growers
of our county, ii fact it was said OF
him that he made 9 wagon box full u !
Of money out Of potatoes one year.
He told me- thst he awlays made
the most money ont Of potatoes
when the Bugs were the worst. His
theory was' that the potato grower
would plant and possibly cultivate
his potato hut when the bugs ap-
peared he youlh let them have their
way. The fact that's many farm: 4
Ell. failed totget any potatoes this
year seems to prove that his theory
was correct. IS" &, s's@s.; sss s