The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1904-01-29

For our earliest potatoes we plant the
Xxx Early,'a a potato that is about
two weeks earlier than the "Early
Rose" 1t makes very small vine,
grows from four to eight marketable
potatoes to the bill, and very few
small ones, and in twenty-four barrels
of potatoes you will only have from
one to two barrels of second size. l
don't think this is true name for this
potato. as there is only one dealer in
Maine potatoes that handles this pota-
to and he was the introducer in the
Washington market. I am under the
impression they are the Early Fortune
that Mr.. Agee speaks OF. l generally
plant half of my crop in this potato
and the balance in Green Mountain.
| get my potatoes in March, soak them
in corrosive sublimate ! hours, cut
them and cover with plaster and sui
phur.
PLANTING.
After drilling in the fertilizer l run
light iron harrow 8 feet wide in
front of the potato planter. l plant
in rows 9 feet s inches wide and 13
inch. s apart in the drill for Xxx
Early" and feet for Green Mountain
l3 inches in drill. | use Robbins
planter and use from 800 to 400 lbs
of fertilizer in the drill, making be-
tween 900 and l 900 lbs. OF fertilizer
to the acre. The planter plants about
4 inches deep, throwing ridge about
2 inches more on the potatoes. ]
plant as early as possible, commencing
in March if the weather is favorable
and try to finish by the middle Of
April. Planting early is very impor
tant, as it gets the potatoes made be
fore We have that drought in June
which we generally. have.
CULTIVATION.
As soon as the potatoes have com
menced to sprout and we see one here
and there We run a light smoothing
barrow with the teeth slanting back
ward crossways over the ridges. Their
in a few days we run Hallock Sue
cess weeder both ways over them every
few days until they get to be between
three and four inches high. A boy
with one horse can work 20 acres s
day with the weeder. By going over
so often you destroy all weeds. Now
take your riding cultivator, put or
long and narrow plates. and cultivate
as deep and as close as possible. We
work potatoes only once with the rid
ing cultivator, then we take the one
horse cultivator and 60 over the ielC
about once in eight days until th'
vines meet in the rows, and at the last
working We go only once in the row
and then down the middle. The cult
vator makes only small hill, practi
cally level cultivation. During the
cultivation of the potatoes | pay par
ticular attention to the bugs, and az
soon as they hatch l use one and one
half pounds of Paris green to 20(
pounds of land plaster. One applica
ton is generally enough. |
DIGGING AND MARKETING
As soon as the potatoes are large
enough they are dug with HallocI
Success digger and put in barrels and
hauled in spring wagons, to keep from
bruising them, to the Washington
market. This is about the last o
June, and we continue to haul in bar
rels until they are ripe, when we ust
thick 3 bushel bags. We make two
grades Of potatoes-primes and sec
onds. One firm has been handling my
potatoes for over twenty years, and
have established a reputation as te
honest packing. My potatoes rur
uniform through the barrel without
any facing, and as soon as they arr
unloaded they are sold at the highes
market price; in fact my seconds bring
almo ost as much as some people,
primes. The real small potatoes
cook for the hogs. | send - bbls. il
load when sending them in barrels
When sending in sacks l send on th'
same wagons from 20 to % barrels
We generally get through our crol
about the 18th of October, and th'
last OF the season we nave to NOW th'
potato field before digging, on acooun
of crab or summer grass, which makes
very good sheep hay. Now the ma
nure and fertl q that use may seen
very expensive, but l always make I
large crop Of potatoes and the grount
| always seed as fast as / can, in Sep
tember and October, to clover ant
, timothy and make an excellent crol