The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-02-22
THE IDAHO SCIMITAR.

are favorable for the growth of plants animals,
is where you hope to develop them successfully.
The nearer you get to the natural conditions, the
better So you have here the natural conditions of
mountains altitude perfect soil conditions absolutely
free from fungus bacteria 1t is much better
to keep your soil free from those diseases than it is
to eradicate them after you get them. Nothing but
the legumes and clover should be your foundation
crop, clover alfalfa. | use clover alfalfa, do
not much which, for four years That is broken
up the fall quite deep, else broken twice, and
the action of the frost disintegrates the soil and
loosens it from the roots and puts it in better
chanical condition for the seed bed One thing that
would be good suggestion right here is to fall pow
because you get from i've to IL per cent more heat
warmth in your soil than you would by spring plow-
ing: 1t is very important to prepare your seed bed
and start your potatoes in the spring in healthy
vigorous condition. We take the fall blowing and
disc it, or use spring teeth harrows and pulverize
it and re-harrow it as long as it can be worked.
try to put my seed bed in good filth a garden.
| think my ground last spring was cultivated six
times before planting. We like to plant our potatoes
about two two and one-half inches below the level
of the soil If possible cultivate the next day after
planting [ would not wait day. We two
horse Cutvators something like your double shovel
plow, with 16-incl shovel, and put four horses
those cultivators. You can see John Deere or any
other good strong cultivator that will stand four
horses and try and it deep and close to the
tuber as possible This affords storage for mois-
ture and opens up the soil for plant food and for the
development of the roots. We keep cultvating from
time to time, once a week if we can If weeds ger
back and there is not much danger Of disturbing the
roots by narrowing We this harrow until the
potato plant is five or six inches high With the
deep cultivation spoken of, seldom need any If
rigation until July, by planting the first of May
By that time in July, the potatoes set being
set. To determine when irrigation is needed take
a shovel and dig down in the hill where the feeder
roots and take handful of dirt and if it holds
its form there is moisture enough for present needs
but you must not wait until it won't hold together
because you cannot irrgate all your potatoes in one
day. Then want to grow potatoes as rapidly
as we can, just like you would grow calf I find if
[ grow my potatoes rapidly and strong and get
them we'll established they will stand lot of grief
later small trench should be made in which
to run the water, that the potatoes will always be
in loose soil, through which the air circulate We
like to plant potatoes with the 3S inches
apart, which gives them nice width and keeps them
under from the and protects them from
frost
When it comes to the marketing of potatoes, you
want to consider what kind of potatoes you should
grow. | don't think [ ever saw bin of potatoes
SO uniform and so free from scab and dirt those
in Mr.. Smiths cellar, but they too large for
the market You want to grow medium sized
potato I would say if you would plant them eight
inches apart in the rows you would get as great a
tonnage and desirable potato, that would
bring more money than large There are very
few markets, except in the south, that will pay a
good price for those large potatoes We have
Derimented with all the way from 81 to 40
inches apart, and | want to say this to all of you
men, you will have to solve your own problem, you
will have to work out by practical experience Mr.
Smiths potatoes planted "a inches apart and he
lid not get very good stand | have not seen any
soil here except on the brakes which, from my ex-
oerience if properly prepared, and the seed bed made
AVAILABLE but what would stand planting potatoes at
east within 10 inches of each other in the row.
Question-How often do you irrigate?
Whenever it is necessary. 1t is necessary when
there is not sufficient moisture in the SOIL when
yer the soil around the feeders or tap roots will
lot ball when you press it in your hand You do
lot want to wait too long before irrgating If YOU