Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-01-27

slstt, a. w. tlCCo AASS0 wa
siderable, is thus Supplied.
Twenty five to fifty bushels of ashes
to the acre can be spread on. This
will not be needed for clover and COW
pea land as sufficient nitrogen is pres
ent in such soil TO make good growth
of tops.
Flowing just as early in the spring
as the ground is dry enough is recon-
mended, this being done half an incn
deeper than the land has been turned
before and in such way that the team
shall not step on the ground after 1t is
turned over. A wheel on the ploW re-
gulates the depth and jointer turns
under all traces of sod. Mr.. Terry pre-
fers tapping the burrows to turning
them fiat over and would make them
narrow enough so that all the soil be
turned. AS fast as the land is dry
enough to put team on it safely 1T is
narrowed down, but unless it is nearly
all sand IL should never be tramped
when 1t is wet.
If ten or more acres are planted
good modern potato planter should pc
used. When the soil is deep enough SO
that there is no need Of turning UP 500
the blowing out of burrows with {. one
horse plow is recommended as an ex-
cellent method. Two horses should be
used for this as it is possible to drive
straighter with a team. On fairly well
drained land the seed ought to be put
down at least four inches below the
surface, and covered with a plow thus
further mixing and working the soil.
Flowing out furrow and then plow-
ing back to cover on sod turning six
or seven inches deep has been much
practiced by Mr.. Terry
Seed should go into the ground in
sound condition, not poor or wilted or
yield by planting six or eight bushels
to the acre, but an inexperienced plant
err needs to use twice that amount. II
! the land is clear of stones and rubbish
so that the weeds can be kept down by
horse power the best potatoes ane. most
money can be got from drill planting,
dropping a piece of seed with two or
three eyes every twelve or fifteen
inches in the drill A smoothing har-
row with very small round teeth slant
ing backwards and weeder are need
ed for keeping these clean. AS soon
as the crop is planted the ground Is
narrowed and narrowed once or twice
more, on dry and ,sunshiny days, so
that the weeds will be killed.
Potatoes should come up in clean
ground and it is not difficult to make
them to do SO unless there is an I'M
usual amount of rain. AS soon as the
rows can be followed a one-horse
weeder can be used, the horse walk
ing between the rows and the teeth
scratching over two rows at once. inns
and the cultivator should be used OF
ten but after ten days from the Time
the potatoes come up the GROUND
should never be cultivated more than
two inches deep with culttvator
having small teeth. To run a cult1va-
tor or plow thru deeply tears off the
roots and will shorten the crop par
ticularly in dry weather for before the
potatoes are six inches high the roots
cross between the rows and II they are
disturbed after that there will not be
full crop.
In accord with other modern potato
growers Mr.. Terry says, Do not plant
in hills for that is no way to grow
potatoes nowadays! 1t is only when
a plow must be used in caring for
crop that potatoes are hilled up, be-
cause when so cared for they can be
kept cleaner in hills. In cul1ivating
potatoes he advises that they be not
hilled up any more than is done by
the side shovels in the cultivator, run
ming not more than two inches deep.
If the potatoes are planted four in
ches deep in drills and hilled up an
inch or two by cultivator, this lat
ter being necessary to KEEP weeds
down, there will be no green tubers to
amount to anything, says Mr.. Terry.
and not nearly as many as when high
killing is done.