Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-04-27
"sPEED THE PLow."
Aroostook Potato Methods.

THEIR WISDOM DEMONSTRATED By
GOOD RESULTS.
am reminded that possibly the
lAroostook method of growing potatoes
which now has extended practically al
over Maine, may have value to Tribune
Farmer readers. That this method
works well outside Of the county where
it originated is abundantly proved by
the successes scored by former Aroos
took farmers and their imitators where
ever the plan has been tried elsewhere
Good potato soil is soil bordering or
clay loan, one reasonably full of or
ganic matter and well drained. This
description holds good in any section OF
country where potatoes are grown.
| The Aroostook potato grower, as a
rule, practices three or four year rota.
ton, as follows: First potatoes, fertil-
lied with commercial fertilizers or par
TALLY with stable manure; then oats,
wheat or barley, land seeded to grass
and clover; then one or two years cut OF
| the clover and the aftermath plOughed
down for the succeeding potato crop,
which begins the second series in the
rotation. Land is usually broken in the
fall; often ploughing begins during the
dull days Of haying. Land is ploughed
from six to eight inches deep. Then, as
early in the spring as possible, 1t is fitted
with disk and spring tooth for the crop.
This fitting is usually very thorough,
leaving the sod finely cut to the furrow
bottom and the land in good tilth. The
planting is always done with horse
planter, and in rows about thirty-fOur
inches apart, with the hills from eleven
to seventeen inches, using not less than
twelve bushels of seed. The fertilizer
is usually applied at the rate of about
one ton to the acre, one-half or One-third
put on at time of planting, the remainder
when the potatoes are three or four
inches high, by using the planter with
plough and coverers removed, thus
strewing the fertilizer in thin stream
on each side of the row. After the
planting comes the cultivating. This
may begin before the potatoes are up,
as the rows can readily be seen by the
ridges left by the planter.
Then as soon as the potatoes break
the ground, the two-horse horse hoe is
used, covering them again, probably
two inches deep. This covering serves
the purpose of protecting the tops from
the late :rosts and killing what weeds
might start in the rows. The potatoes
come up the second time rank and
stocky, like a transplanted tomato
plant. II there is still danger of weeds,
they may be slightly covered again. If
this is done, the weeder is used later to
level down the ridges thus formed.
From this time on the riding cultivator
is kept continually at work until the
time comes for hilling. The second ap-
plication of fertilizer has been made,
and the horse hoe now comes in for the
finishing touch, the ridging or hilling.
The Aroostook farmer makes these ridg-
es somewhat narrow, for two reasons
first, the rows are near together; second
the digger works better in a narrow
ridge.
Next in order is the spraying. This is
done as a protection against the beetle
and as an insurance against the blight
Bordeaux mixture, with Paris green or
arsenate of lead forms the standard
preparation. These are mixed in ac-
cordance to directions that may be OBJ
tanned from any state experiment sta
ton, but the work of spraying is always
done thoroughly. A poor job may be
worse than nothing; a good job may, and
often does, mean the difference between
success and failure with the crop. This
spraying is repeated often enough to
keep the vines well covered, including
the new leaves as they appear. 1t must
be done ofteuer, of course, in a rainy
season and when showers are frequent
than when there is little rain. Aroos-
took farmers learned years ago that 1t is
in the rainy seasons that there is most
danger of blight.
The digging is done with the horse
diggers, so il will be seen that the horse
is the potato growers constant COM
panion all through the season. As the
digging begins barrels are scattered over
the field, pickers empty their hand
baskets into them. Then, as they are
filed, the team gathers them up. A
low wagon is used for this purpose, and
one man will readily load the barrels by
fitting them. They are usually drawn
to a potato house and dumped, to be
marketed later.
So far as know, no serious trouble
has ever arisen from the scab, and if this
ever comes it will only be through care
lessly planting infected seed or by grow
ing potatoes continually on the same
land. Potato machinery found on an
Aroostook farm may be enumerated as
follows: Planter, riding cultivator,
horse hoe, sprsyer, and possibly weed.
er and digger. This in addition, OF
course, to the usual ploughs, tillage i'm
plements and carts. These exclusive
potato implements will cost not far from
$500. The set will care for at least fifty
acres yearly. They are all fairly durable
and with good care will last many years.
1t seems little singular that new
country should create system of crop
growing in a few years, then force 1t
upon the farmers in the older sections,
but this. is true of Aroostook potato
growing. While by the soil and the eli
mate they were well prepared for the
business, they were by natures forces
obliged to grow potatoes or nothing.
Too far north for corn growing or for
many of the standard varieties of apples,
too wise to sell hay as money crop, their
necessities. their pluck and their fore
sight have made them an example Tor
the potato growing world to initiate
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