The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-02-10

PEOPLE, three people and one head
of livestock per acre, and their peo-
pie are as prosperous people as are
found anywhere in the world. That
is over 5000 people to the 1000 acres
and their fertility is improving every
year. There is no fertilizer or man
ure wasted.
THE two greatest potato growers
in the world whom met were
Mathew Eggleston, who kept ESQ
acres of potatoes continuously in
crop. He paid $500 annual rental
per acre, besides the government tax
and expense for manures, and he has
become wealthy The other was John
Hanna. He had made his quarter
of a million dollars in 80 years on
land he paid $500 per acre rental,
and he lives like a prince. He buys
his own seed every year. On the
80-acre field harvested when l was
there in June, was the 30th success
i've crop in 80 successive years
every year in potatoes for thirty
years, and it was the greatest crop
he had ever grown. Mr.. Hanna said
he never expected to exceed it. He
planted his potatoes in March and in
June off 10 tons he raised 81 1-3
bushels per ton. They were possibly
two-thirds matured. That would
make about 10 tons per acre of
81 1-3 bushels English ton. This
man did not lose the use Of his
ground over one and one-half hours
between crops His potatoes were
all dug by hand, and as fast as one
row was stripped it was seeded to
bushel of Italian rye grass per
acre. In two or three days after his
potatoes were harvested in June or
July, the rye grass was all green
oXer the fields. On the 18th of Aug
ust he bought 5000 lambs, and they
were put on to Craze this rye grass
off. Those lambs from the time
they were put on until slaughtered,
about the first of September, made
gain of $40 each. That man
never sold anything but potatoes and
meat from that farm. The sheep
grazed the rye grass off, and the
fertilizer or manure was redistribut-
ed by the sheep. Then 20 tons of
barnyard muck or 40 tons of sea
weed was plowed under in December
or January. and then in March re-
planted to potatoes, and this kept
his soil free from fungus diseases.
"You will be compelled here to
feed and return that potash and
phosphorus back to the soil
that you take out with your
alfalfa. Greeley, Colorado, has
been heard about all over the
section in the irrigated west, the most
scientific farming, the most prosper
Gus farms, free from the ravages of
the potato bug and grasshoppers and
the short crop rotation of one and
two years in alfalfa and potatoes. For
forty years they have. shipped the
potash and phosphorus from this soil,
but continually nitrogen until they
are practically or nearly out of pro-
fitable potato growing. Some day
you will be studying on your farm
what they are doing in Europe.
Some day you will have proportion
of phosphorus and potash that will
not balance, and the more grain and
hay you ship to the railways, just
that much quicker you will be in the
condition of the Atlantic States.
"In Europe the average size pota-
to planted would be about the size of
a hens egg. Farmers do not grow
their own seed. They buy their seed,
largely, every year. If they grow
seed plot, they plant the whole
crop for seed. They do not ship
out their smooth potatoes and plant
what is left. They plant 2k tons
per acre. The best growers over there
have demonstrated that seed stock
should be grown from large potatoes
for planting the next year. They
get much larger number of tubers
per root, and necessarily small SO
that they get a greater number of
seed from one root, more than from
a large tuber, and they get larger
tubers planted from small ones. The
small potato painted gives larger po-
tatoes for market than large potatoes
planted. Their soils are so infected
with disease that they do not dare
to plant cut seed.
They do not permit all the eyes
to grow. The terminal bud is what
is known as the first intention, and
when that starts to grow, the other
eyes very largely become dormant, so
that they scarcely get more than one |