Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-02-24
The Strawpile.

lnnn1n
it gotten from any book, bulletin or
paper nor from any ones experience
than our own. We dug it out OF the
ground in three different states, and
know it is so. says the Dakota Farmer.
AT first it seems aNwaste OF time ana
paper to write upon this subject at
all; but strange as it may seem, many
who, do not expect 1900 Perchefon
colt from a 900 pound broncho staiilon'
think that small potatoes will grow pis
ones, just as surely as big ones Woulo.
There are plenty of farmers 1eIt WHO
would not for a moment look Tor the
same kind Of calves from a Gun wv
pound bull and a 1500-pound Snortnorn
but who will argue for hours that small
understood shrunken wheat will grow
Just as big a crop Of grain as that
many grains of the plumpest wheat
that can be sifted out.
While these conditions exist, there
is always going to be poor potato seed
used and correspondingly poor crops
of potatoes grown.
When we first began farming, we
grew a goodly lot of potatoes. and our
farm was in thrifty German settle
ment owe have always been glad OF
this for while all they did was not
Just the best, we learned many valuable
lessons from them.) These German
farmers nearly all planted large Whoie
potatoes Some of our neighbors plant
ed seed ends, small potatoes. and very
many of them single eyes. AL toio US
that we would make a mistake u we
did not follow their method. Nsw we
could not afford to make mistake IN
those days, so the first year after we
had planted the main field about as we
had been taught to at home we put in
a small field with the different kinds OF
seed mentioned A certain number OF
rows we planted with large whole po-
tatoes. as many more got large pota-
toes split IN two lengthwise. next came
medium potatoes quartered. then large
chunks with two good eyes, followed
by small pieces with one eye, the pre-
yailing way. After this came little. OF
very small potatoes whole. then halVeo'
followed by seed ends" which III New
England then was thought about the
thing.
WELL we not only measured these
potatoes, but we weighed t.e'n' anu
the results were about thus Tor nree
years running:
Inc large, NAOtc P0ldtO oo'S -
the most pounds, every time, but the
half potato gave more marketable po-
tatoes. and nearly as many pounds.
The half. medium sized potato did as
we'll as the half of the very large ones,
and part of the time better But the
quarter of a good potato did even bet
ter. and the large pieces with two and
three eyes did little the best OF all
when it came to uniform marketable
tubers. The small potatoes did poorly
every time, but the first, when they did
very well but not nearly 50 well as the
stronger seed The "seed ends did the
poorest. These sent up good many
sprouts, too many, but they were NOT
strong and the potatoes were many but
small One season was very dry, and
then the difference between strong
vigorous seed, and the weakly ones
was very marked. the latter proving an
almost total failure.
Big pota toes from the cellar are not
the best seed always, as they may have
grown in hill with many small ones
When digging. it is easy to find the
hills that have few small potatoes in
them, where nearly all are uniform
marketable tubers. This whole hill
should be saved for seed.
Back to the Pastures.
When wheat is above a dollar, ana
fax over two, and oats and corn out OF
sight, it may seem a poor time TO De
talking pastures and meadow LANDS
But every farming country that sue
| ceeds, sooner or later has an enormous
acreage of pasture and meadow land
These top dressed and broken up pas
lures come pretty nearly being ne"
virgin lands again and il the process
is often enough repeated they even oe'
come more productive.
Just now with all kinds OF grain
crops so high. both pastures and mead
ows all over the middle and eastern
states are being broken up for cropping
and in many places the stock is re-
duced greatly, partly to permit this
breaking up OF pasture and meadow
and partly because prices Of beef, NUT
ton and pork are so high it seems bes
4 to take them while they are going. The
great western pastures are being brok-
en- UP as never before, for the same
reason, and if the present high gra1r
prices are having the same effect IL
other countries, in the aggregate the
loss of stock and the increase OF gran
production will amount to so much tina
it will be strange indeed If the ont
does not go still higher in price, an<
the other considerably lower.
In either case the. good farmer VIII
see to it that he has good pastures ant
stock to use them. and he will not pu
breaking plow into either pasture o
meadow unless it is in need of sucl
treatment, whatever the price of grail
for the moment may be.
Now is the time" says Joseph
Wing, .'to plan new pastures, and tn
enrichment of the old. Here is on
; thing we have forgotten The way t
sure riches without great toll, the wa.
to sure soil building. the way Of peace
fnl pastoral life. is thru the pastur
; lands"