Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-06-05
CULTURE ON
AR|OLANO OF WEST
Writer in Dry Farming Con-
gresS Bulletin Has Interest
ing Article on How Crop Is
Produced,

That splendid crops of potatoes can
lie raised on sod land, is an item that
should certainly appeal to the dry
farmer. writes n. e. Holden in the
Dry Farming Congress Bulletin. The
good physical condition in which the
soil is left after a crop of potatoes has
been raised, is a point not to over
looked.
The least bushels to the acre the
writer has ever raised on sod land is
1870, while he has raised as many as
$50 bushels. Here is the way it is
done:
Pillow the sod as early in the spring
as the weather will permit. and imme-
diately follow the pillow with a good,
heavy roller. Give inches is the depth
the writer has always plowed sod for
potatoes.) When the blowing and roll
ing has been completed take a disc
harrow (and see that the discs are
sharp and set 1t so as to cut three
inches deep; be careful about cutting
too deep, as 1t Will throw the sod up
in the air and destroy the effect in
tended to be produced. This will leave
a nice mulch for use in summer filling.
After any rain that is large enough to
wet this three-inch mulch through,
the harrow is used, and the narrowing
is kept up until the cold weather in
the fall. sometimes II is necessary to
harrow six or seven times, but usually
about four borrowings can be counted
on.
The next spring when the ground
is sufficiently dry. 1t is replowed to a
depth of eight or nine inches, follow
ing Immediately with the harrow, not
more than half a day should the n
lay after blowing before using the har-
row. A word of caution: when re-
blowing In the spring, ii will be found
that it is very Easy TO puddle the soil
from too early glowing; the summer
filling has thoroughly saturated the
soil and ii is about the same as late
fall irrigation.
The writer has always planted the
potatoes with a planter. Adjust II to
drop twenty inches apart in the rows
and the rows three and one-half feet
apart. The potatoes are narrowed
crosswise after planting and this is
kept up every week or ten days UNI
til they are toe large. then a c%ultivator
is used the remainder of the season.
usually three or four cultivatings after
the narrowing ceases. Should II be
very dry and hot cultivate every ten
Now. after all this labor las been
performed, the crop can be a failure
from a commercial standpoint, unless
the seed proposition has been taken
off. 1t is a common practice to go into
the cellar and commence cutting big.
young. ami old. To tell a good
seed potato requires experience, ob-
servation and Judgment. 1t is best for
inexperienced to buy selected seed
reliable parties and in course OF
time IL will come to him what potatoes
TO select for seed. There is probably
one sack of good seed in every three
Of the average potatoes.
After harvesting in h fall give the
land a good double discing. the follow
ing spring disc again, or harrow II the
is not too heavily crusted, and
irill in a crop NJ macaroni wheat, us
.ng not over thirty pounds Of good
seed to the acre and. II it is planted
sarly. use twenty-five pounds.
The method outlined above should
give not less han zoe bushels OF GOOD, |.
marketable potatoes TO the acre ana
twenty-five bushels Of wheat. ].
A good soil for potatoes should have ]
sand. The altitude here (Dillon'
is $500 feet. with the grow :
ne season starting about May / and =
september 1. This leaves IL 4,
,ut of the corn belt. otherwise corn :
would be one of the intertilled crops.
Is found by planting an interulled
ron that two crops can be secured in
hree wears. In the case OF potatoes
ollowed BY spring wheat the wheat
nearly All clear profit. II
Gems as though treating sod in this
Is expensive. which is true. but
/ will pay. The extra blowing Of sod
win. on the average. bring one-third I
more potatoes. Il
Many m In the semi-arld west 5
created soil reservoirs IN desert Z
and hx deep blowing and constant !
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