The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1910-04-08
PRACTICAL IDEAS
ON POTATO CROP
Jason WoOdman Tells PO-
tatO Growers How to
Improve Crop.
YEARS OF EXPERIMENTING
Has Produced Crop of 425 Bushels
Per Acre. Fertilizing, Spraying
and Seed Are Important.


For the year 1909 in the total produc-
tion OF potatoes New York stands first,
Michigan second, Maine third and Wis
consin fourth. In yield per acre Maine
stands first with an average for the state
of 225 bushels, New York second with
120 bushels, Michigan third with lO5
bushels and Wisconsin fourth with an
average of l02 bushels. The 10 year
average yield per acre in bushels is for
Maine III, Wisconsin "a, New York So
and Michigan "a. That is to say, the
average yield OF potatoes in Maine is
about twice as great as that of the crop
iu New York aud Wisconsin and more
than double the production per acre In
Michigan. During these years the aver
age farm price of the Maine crop has
been $50 per acre and OF the Michigan
crop S32 per acre.
1t is evident that the ordinary Mich
igan potato grover has not been making
very much money from the crop, nor
will he do so in the future unless he
doing business.
The average Michigan potato grower
raises l,00S bushels on every IL acres of
land If, instead Of planting II acres,
he should plant five and make those five
acres produce 1000 bushels, be would
not increase the total number of bushels
placed on the market; he would, however,
largely increase his net profit on the
crop, a "consummation devoutly to be
wished" not only by the farmer, but by
the business and professional people
who are dependent for their living upon
the profit of the farmers acres.
The three main reasons why Michigan
farmers do not get a satisfactory yield
are, first, they do not make the soil of
their potato fields rich enough second,
they do not plant a sufficient quantity
of the right kind of seed; third they do
not by thorough spraying eliminate the
blight
Over most of Michigan the last season
was a favorable one for the production
of large crop, and yet we only raised
an average of l05 bushels per acre.
In Paw Paw township there were four
fields that averaged 377 bushels per acre.
j y
LurkIns, who on a field of nine acres and
70 square rods prod uced 425 bushels per
acre. These fields we're measured and
the yield is the number of weighed
bushels when marketed. Practically
the same methods were followed in
raising all of these crops The plans
used are the results OF experiments car
;oI Anr of
Ia all cases the basis of each of these
crops has been field seeded to clover
before it got poor This clover sod rein
forced with heavy coat OF manure APP
piled the year or the winter before the
crop is planted
We have found that the most profit
able varieties of potatoes to grow for the
general market are of the Rural type,
preferably the Rural itself All thirgs
considered, the best seed to plant is
whole potato from the size of an egg up
to twice the egg size. Ii the seed potato
is cut at all, it should only be cut once,
split lengthwise through the seed end.
The seed end eyes are the strong eyes.
If seed potatoes have been properly kept,
a seed end backed by the whole potato
in every hill means every hill good
hill.
With the Rural potato, if the whole
tuber is planted, the eyes at or around
the seed end will send out from one to
four stalks, while the weaker eyes will
remain dormant. Thus the whole of the
plant food in the potato goes to nourish
the growth from the strongest eyes. II
seed potatoes are cut, the pieces con-
tanning the weak eyes will grow weak
hills, and that means a smaller yield per
acre. These statements are based on
the results OF experiments | have carried
on for series of years.
For five years l have planted portion
of my potato fields with uncut seed.
Invariably the area planted with whole
potatoes has outyielded the part of the
field on vhich cut seed was used.
have tried experiments along this line
by planting carefully measured plots.
In every instance the uncut potato seed
has proved to be the best. This last
year for the first time / used only uncut
seed and obtained the best crop | have
ever grown.
Someone asks, il egg sized potatoes
plante whole are used year after year
will not the size of the stock deteriorate
and the potatoes run out. On the con-
trary, the yield has been increasing and
the quality, il anything, has grown bet
ter. / raised this year 3,4l0 bushels OF
potatoes on eight acres and 1,3 square
rods OF ground, and from this crop
was able to grade Odt only lao crates OF