The independent-reporter., 1910-10-06
F. {. DAVIS MADISON s
POTATO SPECIALIST
Makes Head Work Go d Long Way To-
wards Securing Nice Proats.

F E. Davis of Madison is one of the
best informed men with reference to
potato culture. that can be found in
Somerset county. He does not aspire
to be a large grower, but rather aims
to secure high quality and maximum
profit, with the least possible expendi-
ture of time and money. He is also
paying considerable attention to orig
mating new varieties by planting seed
balls, and at the present time has no
less than twelve special plots under
observation.
There are something over a hun
dred acres in Mr. Davis farm, of
which only eight or ten are planted
to potatoes. This arrangement is a
part of his carefully thought out plan
for making the potato his cash crop
practically all velvet" so that he
takes no chances of getting caught
by a poor market. Other products Of
the place are cream, poultry and eggs.
small fruits and vegetables, so there
is something to sell every week in
the year.
A considerable part of the Davis
farm is the light sandy loan so char
acteristic of the upper Kennebec Val
ley, and Mr.. Davis seems to be one
of the few men who understand get
ting the most possible out of it. The
field of Green mountains from which
he was digging and shipping last
Wednesday, was turning out the tubers
at a rate to gladden. the hearts of
any one in Aroostook.
Several of the methods employed
in making this crop were somewhat
unusual if not entirely original. In
the first place Mr.. Davis raises all his
own seed. Not only that but he also
plants largely of Gull stock, taking
care, however, not to plant seed de-
scended from culls. This makes a
material saving ordinary years, and
the results amply justify the prac-
tice. He is of the opinion that So
or. the size, within reasonable limits,
lc of little consequence. The essential
thing is to avoid tubers that are small
because of weak plant.
Mr. Davis avoids over size stock by
planting 80 in. by II in. 100 to 1900
pounds of fertilizer insure good
crop, and considerable labor is saved
by the method of cultivation The
land is worked about ten times after
planting, the weeder alternating with
the cultivator. This arrangement gets
about the same result with one horse
as is usually obtained with two, and
makes the crop much easier to dig
nitrogen and was using that quantity
years before so much was conceded
to be profitable. Now he Is trying to
induce the fertilizer makers to put out
mixture. with less phosphoric acid
than in their standard formulas. He
says that the percentage now consd-
cred standard ripens the crop too
soon, and cuts off nearly two weeks of
growth, just when the plants should
be doing their best.
The short rotation such as is fol-
lowed in Aroostook is another of the
things over which Mr.. Davis talks en-
Enthusiastically. He is so well posted on
soil conditions, however, that he care
fully avoids the pitfalls that have
caught so many of the unwary. He
doesn't propose to try clover until his
soil is ready for it. Meanwhile he
follows his potatues with a crop of
millett, because this plant thrives on
an acid soil, such as the potato loves
Later when the high tillage shall
have worked much of the acidity out
clover will doubtless flourish as it has
elsewhere. This fall he is testing a
part of his field with winter rye and
Russian vetch, combination that has
been found very valuable in other
northern states.
Mr. Davis is also an enthusiastic
member of the Maine Seed Improve
ment Association. and expects to ex-
hibit several of his Seeding potato
varieties at the New England Corn
Show. and the annual meeting at Au-
gusta. He has developed an early va
riety that he thinks has all the good
features of the Irish Cobber, without
the Objectionable deep sunken eyes.
Several others that he is testing be-
side the widely advertised novelties
put out by the big seed houses, stand
the comparison admirably. He does
not, however, propose to cater to any
seed trade until he has developed a
line of varieties that meet every rea-
sonable requirement, and offer COM
bnation of good features that will
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