St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-01-02
THE LTIVATION
OF irish. Pot ATOES
Dr.. BeFeler Advises Farmers 10 Prepare EoW
fer irish Potatoes and onion.
ARTICLE FROM DUNARTRAIT
The Latter. An Expert, Goes Into Detail About
the Cultivation sf These Two
Crops.

A few weeks since, in a hurried
and badly written article, / attempted
4 to impart to you the information thaf
there would be buyers here for you
Irish potatoes and onions, so that VOL
would lose no time in making tht
necessary preparations to include
them as part of your marketable
crop.
You should begin at once to pre-
pare your soil, by thoroughly draining
and blowing before making your rows.
Irish potatoes should be planted on
the increase of the moon, and in Feb;
ruary, if the weather will permit.
After the potatoes are laid by this
same land will he found in excellent
condition to grow a crop of corn and
peas the same season.
The following article on Irish Pota-
to Culture" has been carefully written
| in detail by one who has been success
| full with Irish potatoes, and it viii be
well for you to preserve this article,
and peruse it, until you are thoroughly
familiar with its contents in detail.
A.. J. BERCIER.
Anent Irish potato culture / wish
to say that the proper time and
place TO apply fertilizers to the soil is
some time, say a week or two, before
planting, under the plant. So distri-
butte in the furrow opened for that
purpose as to allow as complete as
similation as possible before the plant
puts out roots. While / used cotton
seed meal this season, I do not reconl-
mend it's use entirely. Am going to
use the truck growers fertilizer, 800
pounds to the acre. Authorities on
fertilizers recommend the use Of from
1000 10 200 pounds per acre, ac-
cording to soil. My results with T25
pounds Of cotton seed meal only per
acre have been SO satisfactory that I
incline to believe that 800 pounds of
truck growers fertilizer will do well
enough, though will try some at 500,
800 and 1000 pounds TO see the diff
ference for future government.
''I have tried three and three quart
ers, four and four and half feet
rows, and find three and three-quart-
ers the best in point Of facility to
cultivate and as good as others in
points Of yield. These should be laid
off By the measure or stakes: NO
guesswork about that will do, as you
will find to your sorrow and cost
when you undertake to cultivate and
dig potatoes on irregular width roWs.
The first and absolute requisite
for successful potato culture is drain
age not the natural fall of the land
that many seem to consider good
drainage, but drainage By means Of
bitches not father apart than fifty
| six yards and from three to FIVE feet
wide and at least two and q half feet
deep. Then thoroughly ploW and
harrow the soil, that should have bad
a coat Of peas Or other leguminou;
crop ploWed under in its green state
the fall preceding to obtain maximum
results. Take care that the row:
be Of uniform height. Where tht
land is irregular, causing high anC
low rows, the difference in yield Il
/ the row reaches sometimes as mucl
as so per cent in favor of the higl
row. Even rows are easily obtained
by using a heavy plank or timber long
enough to reach across two or Horc
rows, so weighted as not to aattel
rows to less than six inches in height
This gives the ideal row TO plant anl
|cover at any desired depth, which
should in spring planting not be oYei
four inches. use for both opening
and covering the Planet, Jr., No.
horse hoe eultiyator, which is so ad
Unstable as TO do both at will on sol
SO prepared.
AS soon as plants are up TO 9 stant
cover again, but lightly. This in
j sures more vigorous growth, Will
destroying all young grass in dril
and saving the cost of hoeing but $
much care must be taken to no
cover too much say not more thal
two inches Of pulverNed dirt, enoug'
to hide the plant being sufficient
that | would not advise it where thi
can not be done. Rather, then, le
the plant grow to some six niche
high, then hill up temporarily, an
when foot oil so high bill np agai
all the plant and row viii permi
taking care always and at each cult
Yation to avoid disturbing the rooi
j and tnbers, as such is always iniuriog
and at certain stages Of deVelopmeI
fatal TO the crop.
This second killing IS what ! d
laying by Thereafter however. Il
J middles should be kept broken deep
5 with double shovel or subsoil plo'