Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-26

ton hut two plots of potatoes We're
failures and both were due to the frost
of Aug. 81. The correspondent thinks
that the coming season the acreage
in that section will be doubled. The
Winthrop correspondent reports Rob-
ert Towle as the largest individual
raiser in that town, having planted 40
acres with a yield of 800 bushels. Large
shipments of potatoes are also reported
from Winthrop, which would seem to
indicate that that town has disposed
OF its output more rapidly than some
of the other towns in the county.
A prominent resident of Vienna es-
Inmates that at least 1900 bushels
were raised in that town. Ills method
of estimating is very conservative and
the probability is that much more ac-
reage was planted and that the total
yield was larger. Concerning his own
farm he says: I'VE raised on our farm
| $50 bushels Der acre. A neighbor of
mine raised 400 bushels on an acre.
w. NJ. Prescott of this city has raised
| from 2S acres 10000 bushels of potatoes
all of which were harvested in excel
lent condition and proposes to plant
about 50 acres the coming year. Among
other extensive potato growers in the
city are Fred s. Daggett Alonzo Ches-
ley, William, Walker and Augustus
Knowles. In but very few instances
were less than 1875 bushels raised to an
acre by the Augusta potato growers
and from that the yield has run to
nearly if not quite 200 bushels.
Over in WHITEHEAD in Lincoln county
potato yields fully equal TO those of
Kenrehec county are reported. Our
correspondent in the southern section
OF Whitefield reports the whole number
Of acres planted 43, with Il total yield
OF 1910 bushels, or an average OF 300
bushels to the acre.
question of interest. of course, in
connection with the big potato crop in
kennebcc county is the financial re-
turn. Those who are informed upon
The subject say that the nearest to an
Approximate" value will be to average
the Hiice at which the farmers have
sold, or will sell. at so cents per bu-
snel. The total cash returns to Ken
nehec county from the sale of it's entire
potato product according to this esti-
mate will he 1852. 225.50. a tidy sum-,
SUI ely, W 'Jc IOllll1lo lIto DOChStS VI
the farmers of this county.
Frank Lowell of Gardiner is an eX-
tensive raiser of Green Mountain po-,
tatoes from which by careful seed Sc
lection he gets an unusually large
yield. Says Mr.. Lowell: ION part of
my field each year / intend to plant
few good shaped potatoes to raise my
seed from. NY seed for next year was
raised from potatoes selected for
shane and number of potatoes to the
stock and when l dug them could
see that they averaged better than the
others. This year I had Az acres of
these potatoes and have over 1900 bu-
shells of. nice, smooth tubers, part of
the piece has yielded at the rate of
over 400 bushels per acre, but do not
count that as signifying much, but the
fact that they are coming out ahead
of all others that they have been plant
ed by the side of, is of great impor-
tance to everyone. who raises potatoes.
One of the characteristics of this po-
tato is very few small ones
The increase in potato culture in
Kennebec coAnty ard the adaptability
of its soil can be best shown by the
statement that a Kennebec valley
town which in 1908 shipped 100 carloads
of potatoes four years previous shipped
but four carloads. A man near Au-
gusta in 1907 on 60 acres got an aver
age OF 274 bushels per acre. Compare
this with the average yield Of New
York, 10 bushels, Minnesota, 50 bushels,
Wisconsin. 60 bushels, Iowa, 80 bush
els Maine has increased it's potato
Weld within the past 10 years from 49,
100000 to more than 35,000,000 bushels
and in that increase the farms of Ken
nebec county have played no small
part This increase is likely to con-
tinue as the area under the plow in
this as vel! as other counties is but a
fraction Of what might well be worked
ard planted to the crop.