The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1908-04-08
POTATO THE BEST CROP
FOR NORTHERN MINNESOTA
A. J. Mcclure, Superintendent of the
Northeast Experiment Station,
Gives Opinion.

Potatoes is the main market crop
for the Northeastern Minnesota.
The soil and climate is especially
favorable to their growth.
Under fair conditions they yield
from us to 225 bushes per acre.
The cost of growing them need
not exceed SIS per acre.
The market price the past five
years in this section of the state
has averaged 90 cents per bu.
Four acres of potatoes are grown
on the Experiment Farm every year
They are grown in a rotation with
wheat, clover and fodder corn. The
ground is MANFRED lightly for the
fodder ground and again for the
potatoes.
The Carmen No. l potato is
grown exclusively on these four
acres. Other varieters are grown on
small plots, and in comparison
with the Carmen, but none have
found to yield so we'll, or as salts
factory in general as the Carmen.
The Carmen is a white potato,
oval in shape, and medium to late in
maturing. 1t is quite firm in texture,
good flavor, keeps we'll, and is one
of the best selling potatoes on the
market.
The Carmen No. 3 potato is
frequently inquired for in COMPARE
son with No. l. They are practically
the same.
For an early potato the Early
Sunlight or Early Ohio is recon-
mended.
The past year modern potato
machinery was used on the Expert
ment Farm. The Aspinwall planter
and sprayer, and a Hoover digger.
These makes" of potato machinery
are not recommended as better than
others as they were not used in COM
parison with other makes" They
proved practical and satisfactory,
however, and for growing potatoes
on large scale potato machinery is
recommended. From 8 to 4 acres
can be planted or dug in a day.
The sprayer sprayes four rows at a
time and a four or five acre field
can be gone over in a quarter of
day.
For a potato digger to work at it's
best the field should be quite free
from weeds and grass, also of stones.
In the growing of potatoes there
are few general rules that are
profitable to follow.
Select good seeds. Get a good
variety, and keep it pure, and stick
to it till you are sure of improve
ment by changing. By selecting
the best potatoes for seed every
year it becomes a better variety.
Small, inferior seed tends to run out
the crop.
Scabby seed produces scabby
potatoes, and not only this but in
tests the soil, so that potatoes on
the same ground within the next
two or three years will be effected.
For this and no other reasons pota-
toes should be grown on the same
land but once every third or foutth
year. Scab may be destroyed on
seed potatoes by treating the seed
With formaldehyde. One quart of
of formaldehyde in three.
quarters of barrel of water. Put
the potatoes in sacks and submerge
in the barrel for two or three hours.
This formaldehyde is a poison and
potatoes treated in it should be
used for seed only. Formaldehyde
can be bought at any drug store. II
is cheap, and the treatment takes
but little work, and should be used
whenever there is any sign of scab.
The sandy loan soil is best fol
potatoes. 1t should be high land
orwell drained as potatoes drown
out quickly on wet soil. In the
rotation potatoes do best following
clover. The soil cannot be too rich,
The yield may be increased from
one-third to one-half through barn
yard manure.
On the Experiment Farm the
potatoes are planted in rows &C
inches apart, and IS inches apart
in the row After 1antino tho fa1c