The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-06-29

| This matter of seed is of the greatest i'm
| portance and unless the seed is carefully
| prepared failure to get them up is sure
| to follow, and here is where most COM
| plants come in--that the early crop will
| not come up when planted again the
/ same season. The most successful fall
| potato grower in Middle Tennessee gave
me this plan of preparing seed for plant
| ing a fall crop. He says that the seed
must be dug before they are fully ripe,
| and before they are fully dead. The seed
must be taken in out of the sun at once
| and spread on a floor in any farm or out
building where they will not be exposed
| to the hot sun. The seed is left to lie
| on these floors until wanted for planting
which time varies from three to four
weeks. The first crop is generally ready
| to dig in latter part of June and the sec
| ond crop is planted from the middle of
July and on through August, although
! generally the best time for the planting
| is from the first to the middle of August.
! BY this time the nights begin to get
| longer and cooler.
When ready to plant the seed are care
/ fully sorted over and all small. scrubby
| and rotten ones thrown out. and only
| good, smooth stock from medium to
| large are selected for planting. After the
potatoes have been dug this long 1t will
| generally be an easy job to pick out the
ones that will grow and all that fail to
show signs of eyes started should be
thrown out.
After the seed has been selected. cut
and plant the same as for spring plant
ing. By following this method out in full
l think there would be no trouble what
ever In getting the crop up and In secur-
ing a good crop. There are many meth
DDS given some recommend bedding up
the land and planting in water burrows.
and some growers advise summing the
seed until they are green and yet others
recommend sprouting the seed on beds
the same as for sweet potatoes. and
planting only the ones which start
sprouts in a few days. Some growers
sell all the large merchantable stock and
depend on the small. unstable stock for
seed. while others plant only the large,
smooth, well-matured tubers 1 could
never succeed in growing good crop of
potatoes from these small unmatureG
tubers. So after having given this mat
ter careful thought and after visiting
the most successful growers OF the coun-
try and getting their ideas and methods.
l feel safe in offering this as the best
and surest as well as cheapest plan for
securing a good, fall crop Of potatoes.
But some one may say your plan Is too
expensive, costs too much work and time
to carry out in full detail all your plans.
the crop will not pay for so much labor
and time expended well we will decide
crops grown under this plan. But 1 will
state here that this is one crop which
will not make unless fully provided for
and properly managed.
Cultivation.
If the soil has been prepared as here
recommended before planting there will
be but little trouble in cultivating the
crop. A good part of the work can be
done with the harrow, which should be
| used regular until the plants are up and
large enough to be cultivated; where the
fields are small and short rows, 1t will be
best to use good one-horse cultivator,
but where large fields are planted it will
be best to use a good two-norse culti-
vator. Our improved one-horse culti-
vators are a great improvement over the
old way and our new improved riding
cultivators (two-horse) are a great i'm.
provement over the one-horse oultivators,
| as by the use of them we are not only
| able to perform the work so much faster,
| but the work can be done so much bet
ter OF course, the amount of cultiva-
| ton needed for this crop will depend
| largely on the condition of the soil and
| the season; ordinarily two or three Gull
| tivations Is all that will be needed. But
the soil should be stirred Immediately
after a hard rain to prevent the soil
from baking. Nearly all the cultivation
can be done by horse power.
Profits of the Crop.
AS to the profits to be derived from a
| fall potato crop, would say that like all
other crops it has to depend upon gen.
| eral circumstances. Last season the crop
] in Middle Tennessee ranged in yield from
| fifty to seventy-flve barrels. l saw sew
eral crops which yielded seventy-flve bar
rels eleven pecks each) Of all fine mar
| ketable stock, which was worth at the
time l saw them $1.25 per bushel. These
| were good paying crops. Al this second
l a.
considered superior to the first crop,
| Good clean stock can always be depend
| ed upon to bring fancy prices. So, In
| conclusion, l would advise our farmers
| to make an extra effort this season and
| see If they can not grow all the potatoes
they will need for home use, both for
| seed and for table use. After the crop is
grown, I will tell you, If you wish, how
| to keep them for seed.
| But one thing l have overlooked is,
| that do not think 1t good plan to plant
| this second crop on the same land where
| the first crop was grown Better change
! the land and plant after such crops as
| wheat, rye, oats, beans, cabbage, or any
| of the early crops, except the early pota-
| to fields. Then again, 1 wish to say that
| now is the time to dig most of the crops
for seed purposes. as they are fully ripe
enough now for seed.
Fall Crop Tomatoes.
| Inc question Is asked me every DAY
whether a crop of fall tomatoes can yet
be secured by planting of seed? This
| too, depends altogether on the season and
| the soil. Where the soil is clean, rich
and in good state of cultivation, a crop
| Of tomatoes for late fall may be grown
from seed planted as late as July. Mark
| out rows three and a half feet wide ana
plant in finely prepared hills three feet
apart in the rows. Be sure to put in
| plenty of seed eight or ten seed) to Sc
cure a good stand. When the plants are
a few inches high begin to pull out, hnd
as soon as 1t is safe thin to one good
| strong plant to the hill. l would much
rather risk this method now this late IN
| the season than to SOW on beds and have
| to transplant. The early tomato crop is
poor generally and there will be a good
demand for all the tomatoes that can be
grown. So that 1t will be well worth
making an extra effort to grow a good
| fall crop. Should our home market fail
to take all that can be grown. we have
the advantage now of having a canning