The Republican journal., 1910-08-18
Potatoes in Waldo County
T From the American Cn,t;va+or

anu IHe idISe amount OF Chem IN the
hands OF the farmers at planting time,
had much to do with the great quantity
OF seed put into the ground, which was
considerably more than was planted last
year.
Because of the wet weather during
May and June many early planted pota-
toes had to be replanted. some fields sew
eral times. In many cases the land was
replowed and planted or sowed to some
other crop, which has cut down the acre
age some, but there are still more acres
being cultivated than ever before. Some
pieces of potatoes are looking fine now,
while many others will need great deal
of care and cultivation, as we'll as favor
able weather, to bring them up to the
average.
The best piece of potatoes at this
writing, for the length of time planted, in
the northern part of the county, is said
to be three-acre field on the farm of
George w. Hillman, Troy With favor
able weather during the next month this
piece will be ready for the market in
about one hundred days from the time
of planting the seed. There are a few
rows Of the Early Harvests planted on
one side of the field, the rest being Green
Mountains. A potato weighing one-half
of pound was taken from a hill of the
Early Harvests in just seventy-three days
from the planting of the seed.
Daniel Mitchell of Troy is now market
ing his Early Harvests. He gets the seed
Of this variety into the ground early and
markets them during the last week in
July at 81 per bushel in nearby markets.
With favorable weather, the potato crop
on the whole must be much larger than
it was last year.
R. E Stone of Troy, local partner of
Chaplin Bros, Boston, in the handling of
the potato crop raised in the northern
part of the county, informed the writer
recently that he and his partner in Unity,
E. E. McCauslin, shipped from Aug. 10,
1909, to July 5, 1910, to Chaplin Bros,
125, 900 bushels, paying sixty cents for
the first car. They did not pay less
than forty-five cents per bushel until
after the first of January. From that
time the prices ranged from forty-two
cents to as low as twenty cents per
bushel.
Because he is in partnership with Cha
pin Bros, Mr.. Stone can pay five cents
per bushel more than any other buyer of
potatoes in this vicinity at all times of
the year.
Because of the size, shape, color and
superior quality, Chaplin Bros, say that
the Waldo County potatoes bring from
three to eight, and sometimes ten cents
more per bushel in the Boston market
than the Aroostook potatoes. This is
something to encourage the farmers of
Waldo County.
In addition to the above named quail
ties, more potatoes are raised here per
acre. There were many who raised from
three hundred to five hundred bushels to
the acre here last year; $50 bushels per
acre is not large yield in Waldo County;
only fair. Our land is high and well drain
ed and the soil particularly adapted to po-
tatoes.
Of course our county is small and we
have not as many acres to plant to po-
tatoes, but for the area planted it leads
all other sections of the State.
B. F. H. e
R. E. Stone of Troy is successful
grower of potatoes as well as ar extern
sive shipper. The following is his method:
! The land is plowed in the fall and then
thoroughly narrowed in the spring as
soon as it is dry, and then the seed is
planted with a planter. AS soon as
the plants break through the ground he
has them cultivated and then horse hoed.
In few days they are again cultivated
and horse hoed. He keeps the cultivator
going as long as this can be done without
injuring the plants, and when it can no
longer be used the weeds are pulled out
off the hills by hand.
He uses no stable dressing on his land
for potatoes, but uses high grade com
mercial fertilizer at the rate, usually, OF
about two thousand pounds per acre.
Two years ago he used 1000 pounds OF
fertilizer to the acre on six acres and
harvested 1,40O bushels of potatoes.
The next year he raised fine crop OF
oats on the field without any additional
fertilizer or dressing of any kind and
this year he secured fine crop of hay
which was mostly clover. This was an
old field which had not been plowed, or
dressed, for years.
Last year he used 800 pounds of a
high grade fertilizer on three and one
half acres of land which was planted to
potatoes and fine crop was raised.
This field had not been plowed, or dress
ed, for forty years.
The majority of the farmers here
spray. The bugs afterward appear sew
eral times. He uses about 100 pounds
to the acre. This he says holds the bugs
in check and keeps the plants green and
growing. His potatoes are ready for
the market several days sooner than the
majority and higher price is obtained
for them.-BERTHA F. HILLMAN.