Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-12-11
An Expert ON Potato Culture.

| Henry Fields, OF Shenandoah. iowa
particularly successful. market gar
| dener. contributes an excellent article
en- potato culture to the Rural New
Yorker. from which the Strawpiis
clips portion as interesting and in
struotive. Mr.. Fields says of an ex-
eeptional crop:
In 1901 we had SO near a failure,
| owing TO dry weather, that the land
not a good rest. We p,owed the po-
tato land in October and let it lie loose
all winter. The year 1902 opened
up favorably, with the ground In the
best of shape and the weather fine l
planted forty acres with Early Ohio.
White Ohio and Early Michigan. 1t
was the best seed l could buy. all Red
river grown and fine as silk. 1t cost
me an average of $1.45 a bushel whole
sale. and | put on over 500 bushels on
the forty acres. Cut coarse and planted
one piece in a place a foot apart in
the row with a Robbins planter. Rows
three feet apart
This. was about the first Of April
and as soon as the weeds began to
sprout we started the harrow and kept
1t going TIL the potatoes were up nice
~ Then the weeder, first lengthways
and then across the rows.
In the six weeks from May to
June 16 We went thru nve times with
the cultivator and six times with the
weeder. The last time we used a
Planet Jr. one-horse eultivator with
two size sweeps on and thoroughly
cleaned the middles. 1t was at this
time that the accompanying picture
was taken. Soon after the vines wen.
down so we could not see the rows and
we had to let them go. We did not do
any spraying, as there were no signs
OF bugs, and the blight does not bother
us here. 1t seemed from the start that
the weather had been made to order,
and as we had done our part decided
that II was ever to get the coveted
800 bushels this was the time. We
began to dig and throw on the local
market about June 20. and from then
on we dug and sold steadily till winter.
About five acres were lost by an over
flow from the creek. and the thirty
five acres remaining made as nearly as
we could figure 1000 bushels. Eight
acres of White Ohios made 3,4Ob bush
ciS' anu OliC ave, WilItA we fldd plChtu
cut as the best one made ST. We were
shipping to Chicago at he time. and
rs they were weighed into the car we
had good chance to get the exact
Yield. We marked off the acre and
went for them. I saw from the first
that we were in for big yield, for the
track behind the digger looked like the
endgate had fallen out of a load Of po-
tstoas. hut I was a little surprised a:
night when the scale tickets showed
he SIT bushels. They were shipped to
Albert Miller & Co. at Chicago, and
sold for 40 cents. topping the market
by cents. They netted me q cents
Cost of digging and loading, about 3
cents per bushel.
This was the third consecutive crop
Of potatoes on the land and previous
It had grown six crops of corn. Be
fore thar it was in pasture after
the potatoes were off I sowed turnips
winter. rlowed for potatoes this
bushels, on that particular strip. Rest
# the field made form that down to
100. This is something of comedown
after last year. but we are consoled by
he fact that we are getting 80 cents
or them.
Why were they not as good as last
ear? Well, the weather clerk was to
blame. 1t rained for month steady
ust after they came up and they got
30 weedy we could hardly see the
ows. Then 1t turned so dry the ground
,aked hard. Were lucky to come off
IS we'll as we did.
VIII the 500 bushels ever come
gain? / hope SO. What has been
lone once can be done again. The
and is as good as it ever was, and I
ave a nice green cover OF rye on it
ow getting ready to be plowed under ,
n the spring. am laying in a carload I
+ the Red River seed again ana will t
e ready for business as soon as the I
rost is out
Why not a late potato like the N. I,
,arman instead OF all early ones? Toe