The farmer and mechanic., 1909-03-16

ten cents a buShel or even less was |
proven by a farmer in the vicinity Of
Rich Square the past year
Below we give the result of the eX-
pertinent on one acre of land:
Rent Of one acre $1,000
Fertilizer and manure ...... 500
Potato paintings -. .. 500
LdOOT 1o.Uo
Total cost, one acre -. $500
Yield of the acre, 400 bushels of
fine potatoes as We're ever grown
in this section. The varieties planted
were Norton and White Yams. The
Norton yams, very fine. sweet, juicy
variety the kind most highly priced
on the farms, perhaps made the best
yield.
In the above estimate OF cost every
item is put at the highest figure Rent
of the land is placed at ten dollars
per acre, when the usual price is five
dollars per acre.
Mode of Cultivation.
The land was medium light sandy
soil on which peanuts We're planted
the year before. The land was not
we'll prepared as it should have
been. Hogs had been allowed to run
on and root it all winter. About the
middle of March the rows were run
off four feet apart, (without breaking
the land, which could have made it
better) and small quantity of hog
pen manure put in the drill on about
half of the acre and stable manure on
the other half, and covered by throw
ing a light furrow on it. The land
remained in this condition until the
latter part of May when the plants
We're ready to set out. A cotton plOW
with mOulds off was then run in the
furrOW and the manure turned up
and the ground loosened. A low grade
fertilizer at the rate of 200 pounds per
acre was put in the drill and the land
bedded with a One-hOrse plOW. The
rows We're dragged off to make them
flat on top and the plants set out
when the land was in the right order.
A few days later, after a light rain, a
man with a potato digger Ga light
iron tooth rake) went over and loss
end the dirt between the potato plants.
About two weeks later, after another
rain, they We're gone over again. this
time with a small hoe, and the ground
loosened between the plants again. To
do this work it required the time of
one man less than day each time.
The only other work or cultivation
they received was when the vines be-
gan to run, and from one TO Two feet
long. they We're turned and cultivated
one time With a cotton ploW with the
long sweeps on, three furrows to the
row. About half of the patch was
sided with the cotton plOW and the
middleS thrown out With a turn ploW
two furrows to tho middle. This
plOWing or cultivation. as any farmer
knows. required the services of one
man and a mule less than day. This
was all the work or cultivation the
potatoes received. So it Will be seer
that all the expenses from the time
Of planting to housing time was less
than three dollars. IN this connection
it should be stated that geese hao
the run OF the field until about the
middle OF July when they began tC
interfere With the peanuts in the same
field and had to be taken out
on the 2Sth of August two row!
of the potatoes We're dug and meas
ured and it was found the yield wa:
1t the rate Of 22S bushels per acre
When housed the latter part Of Octo
ber the yield was 400 bushels per acre
How Kept Through the Winter
The great difficulty with the success
full growing of sweet potatoes is keep
ing them from rotting during the win
ter but this difficulty is easily over
come. The potatoes from the acre
above described have kept almost per
fect Most potatoes rot on account o
being kept too warm. This lot wa
housed under shelters ana in hiIt
made out III the open. but boarded III
to keep the cold winds off. The lane
was slightly elevated by throwing III
niue dirt and pine straw placed on
tlls. Ihe potatoes We're then DIacet
care1uiiS on this elevation. (abOut si,
ne, iithes)' and while being placed in tn.
nl,a, .ie l.-siacked rock lime was thrown
ei them occasionally perhans y bol
Dushei ei OF lime to so bnshe, cf ,o.. ~
stra we're then covered with ni,,
70 depth of about six ;nnha