The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-02-28
POTATO MACHINERY.

Planters, Diggers and other Tmple-
ments OF Up TO Date Culture.
Three different potato planters were
tested by the Cornell On. - station.
Two dropped the seed automatically,
and the other required the attention Of
an attendant to place the seed for
dropping. The stations report is that
none Of the planters mentioned is
perfect vet all possess valuable fea
lures The automatic choppers, while
placing the seed MS evenly as it is or
dinarily placed when dropped by hand,
should be supplemented by some at
tachment by means of which an ocea-
sional skip may be supplied by the
driver. While no attempt is made to
draw any conclusions as to the rela-
tive merits of the various planters
tested, based upon only one seasons
trial, yet there are some essentials
which any potato planter must possess
in order to be entirely satisfactory up
ON all soils. These essentials are-frst,
the furrow for the seed tubers should
be opened to any desired depth; second,
seed pieces must be dropped with abso-
Lutte regularity, and, third, there must
be ability to cover the seed deeply or
shallow according to the nature of the
SOIL In addition there should be sim
plicity Of construction and strength Of
frame that the necessity for repairs
may be slight.
In tests of many diggers by the sta
ton mentioned none has as yet been
found which works satisfactorily upon
all occasions. Nearly all are made to
dig notatoes which have been given
ridged or hill culture and not for POI
tatoes given level tillage. While 9TH
ers work well upon level land. they do
not work equally wen upon hilly or
stony soil. Where potatoes are raised
on large areas both potato planters
and potato diggers are almost a neces
sity.
/, It il advised that in every case they
be purchased BY the farmer on condi-
tion that they do satisfactory work
Not all are equally well adapted to all
conditions. Those implements should
be selected which seem best adapted
to local conditions and needs.
1t is probable that one reason why
the practice of spraying potatoes has
not been more generally adopted is
due to the fact that the machinery for
the work has not fully met the de-
mands. 1t is suggested that some en-
terprising young man in community
could do q good business by investing
in d good gasoline engine and COM
plcte spraying outfit for the purpose
Of spraying all the potatoes OF the
community. This is now done In many
cases in orchard management and
could be done with potatoes equally
we'll The evidence Of Cornell is strong
in favor of thorough spraying with
bordeaux mixture and paris green.
The potato situation is well summed
up BY one grower, who remarked, 'Bv
the use Of the potato planter, the weed
er, the harrow, the wheel cultivator
and the potato digger can now grow
four acres OF potatoes at less expense
than ] could formerly grow one acre"
Let a man ride through the best dairy
districts in New York state after an
absence Of ten years, and he viii be
astonlshed at the number OF silos New
ones are being put up every year, and
they are changing the character Of
farming in whole sections, says Rural
New Yorker.
With such splendid opportunity to
set out Of debt as the present for the
long debt burdened farmer we regret
to see SO many sighting the opportuni-
ty to secure their emancipation and in
dependence and actually increasing the
burden under the stimulus Of big
prices for farm products.
An old friend Of ours who was
western pioneer was telling US recently
what d time be used to have when
breaking zip the Drairies ii an early
day He was very poor and could not
afford 70 wear shoes, and rs q