The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-09-10

| inches deep, and not more than
inches inches would be happy me-
dunn. Very deep planting increases
the labor In harvesting, and the dan
ger Of q deficient stand when the
weather conditions are unfavorable.
Very shallow planting reduces the
yield and Injuries the quality OF the
crop.
Rural Trench System.
The rural trench system consists In
planting the pieces In deep trenches,
made either by spade or pillow. It DIFF
fers from other methods chiefly in the
greater care taken to secure a thor
ough preparation beneath the potato.
To this end. after deep and wide
trenches are formed the bottoms are
pulvertzed and a portion of the fine
earth, which was removed in forming
the trenches is ral1ed back into the
burrows, so that the set is planted on
top Of a layer Of fine, well-prepared
soil and at a depth Of to inches.
Fertilizers are placed near the seed
pieces, above or below, but separatd
from thin by a thin layer. of soil
The trenches are then filed and level
culture is practiced.
Time to Cut Seed Potatoes.
From many experiments conducted
tatoes many days or weeks in advance
of planting have shown varied results
somewhat according to the length Of
time that the cuts remain implanted
but on the whole indicated no marked
difference in productiveness between
planting freshly cut pieces and those
that had been cut for a week or less
Investigations show that a slight wilt
ing Of the seed pieces increased the
yield on moist soils and in wet sea-
sons, but reduced II on soils not re-
tentive Of water and in dry seasons.
On the whole, 1t appears that the
storing of cut pieces for several days,
which sometimes becomes necessary,
is attended with no great disadvan-
tages. OF course, due care should be
taken in. such instances to prevent
heating, and it may be well to dust
the cuttings with gypsum Gland
plaster) to prevent excessive whiting.
Effect of Sprouting.
The growth of sprouts before plant
ing is made at the expense of the
tubers, from which they draw their
support Hence if these shoots are
rubbed off before planting there is
total loss of the nutriment contained
in them. Moreover, numerous weak
shoots grow from the injured eye. To
prevent these evil consequences of
premature sprouting. seed potatoes
are stored in a dark, dry, cool place.
In spite of all precautions, the tubers
sometimes sprout; but when practica-
bic only potatoes that have not
sprouted should be selected for plant
ing.
If the eyes appear dormant in time
OF planting, seed potatoes may be ex-
posed to the light and warmth for a
few days before planting, so as to pro-
mote termination and prompt growth.
Quantity of Seed Potatoes Per Acre.
bushel Of potatoes (sixty pounds)
may contain $40 quarter-pound tubers.
f6n AaI
loot apart In 3-foot rows an acre re-
quires IA, $40 sets. When tubers aver
aging ounces are employed an acre
requires at these distances so bushels
for planting whole potatoes, 30 bush
els when halves are used, and Is bush
els when quarters are planted. In a
number of tests made the amount of
seed cut to 2-eyes, spaced 1x3 feet.
averaged 10 bushels per acre, the usual
range being from 10 to IA bushels. The
average amount of seed cut to single
eyes was at these distances Ga bushels
per acre, the usual range being from
to bushels, though the varieties
with large tubers bearing few eyes re-
quired considerably more seed.
The Following table shows the aver
age results of these tests, including
potatoes of all sizes:
Average Differences Per Acre in Total
Yields from Different Seed Pieces.
Bushels. Per Ct.
Excess from use of
2-eye pieces over
1-eye pieces .. 26 21
Quarters over 2-eye
pieces ............ ID 16
Halves over quar-
tiers 25 Is
Whole tubers over
nalVeS 81 Is
II we compare all the total yields
with the total produced by single eyes
we have an increase of 81 per cent
for 2-eye pieces, Al per cent for quar-
tiers, 81 per cent for halves, and 96 per
cent for entire tubers.
The larger the cutting the greater
generally the number OF eyes and the
number Of stalks. The young shoot.
before it develops a strong system of
feeding roots, is dependent for nutri-
ment on the material stored up in the
seed piece; hence the more abundant
this supply the more vigorous the
growth of the plant, and this increased
luxurience is not confined to the early
stages Of growth, but is marked
throughout the season. Again in case
of a frost killing the vine, there is sub
STANCE enough left to legrow the
For general planting I would advise
using the quarter cutting. Although
no fixed rule regarding distance of
planting can be given, the following is
widely applicable:
1. For maximum yield Of salable
potatoes plant in rows as narrow as
can be conveniently cultivated.
2. Crowd small seed pieces close
together in the row. increasing the
distance with every increase in the
size of the seed piece; avoid, on the
other hand, such close planting as to
greatly reduce the average weight of
the tubers. and on the other such wide
spacing as to leave any considerable
portion of the soil unshaded by the
full grown vines.
s. AS a rule, the richer the land the
less the required distance between sets.
4. Varieties with strong growth of
vines or which set many tubers in a
hill should have greater distance be-
tween plants than is necessary with
less vigorous varieties.
NIGHT RIDERS FIGHT
PROSECUTOR IN COURT
Ft- Smith, Ark, Sept s.-With the
court room full of officers, w. S. Reed.