The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-03-23


Rosebery breeds fancy cattle, sheep
and hogs, which always take the
prizes at the Scottish fairs. His fields
are cultivated on the most advanced
scientific methods; they are smother
ed in fertilizers and nowhere else in
all the United Kingdom, or In Eu-
rope, for that matter. is intensified
farming SO thoroughly exemplifed
Two years ago he produced 5000 bush
els of potatoes to the acre, which
were sold entirely for seed. The high
est record for Aroostook county is
1885 bushels to the acre and 600 bush
els are reported frequently. The last
two years have been so wet that the
farmers have not done as much brag-
ging as Usual.
We always associate potatoes with
Ireland and they were developed there
in advance of any other part of the
world. Potatoes are natives of Peru
Their merits as food were discovered
by the Jesuits in the early part of the
Spanish occupation, They sent sam
pies to the colonies in the West In
dies where Sir Walter Raleigh OBJ
tainnd Some Of tho snnd1 which he
brought back to Ireland and planted
in his garden at Youghal. a summer
resort on the south coast, about an
hours ride from Cork Only $4,000
acres were planted to potatoes in Ire
land last year, which is surprising
when you consider that they are the
principal diet OF the Irish peasant
and. as Sir Horace Plunkett once re-
marked, are his food and drink and
clothing"
Half as many acres are planted to
potatoes in New York, and although
only about 10000 acres are planted
to potatoes in Maine, the crop of that
State is often double that of Ireland
And Maine is not the only place in
New England where big crops are
produced and the yield per acre is
excessive. New Hampshire reported
an average of $50 bushels an acre for
1910, and Vermont an average of 1873
bushels an acre for 1909. which indi-
Gates that the abandoned farms might
be utilized with profit because there
is a market~ for all the potatoes that
can be produced and the average
price last year for the entire United
States was 55.5 cents per bushe and
for Massachusetts and Connecticut 70
cents a bushel.
LAND WORTH SIS AN ACRE
About 50 per cent of the crop OF
Aroostook county is of the Green
Mountain" variety; the "cobbers'
ueXt, with about ten per cent, and the
remainder of the area is given up to
fancy varieties, like the Bliss The
Green Mountain" variety gives the
largest yield, but the "cobbler' ma
lures about two weeks earlier.
Good potato land in Aroostook coun- .
ty costs from $50 to $75 per acre, ac-
cording to location. Some farms in |
northern Aroostook have sold as high
as 500 per acre. Good potato land
can be rented for $l2 to So per acre.
It is estimated that it costs about SIS
uer acre ton the basis of a crop of
100 barrels per acre. to grow and
harvest crop of potatoes.
The largest part, probably so per
cent, is shipped to Boston markets;
possibly ten per cent goes through to
New York city. and the balance, for
seed, to Virginia and other southern
states.
AS rule Aroostook stock com
mands a premium of from three to
five cents per bushel over other stock
in Boston markets. but last fall ii
fell about that much below other
stock on account of rot being detect
ed when the shipments reached the
city and were ready for delivery
Most farmers raise potatoes on
commercial fertilizer alone some us
ing as much as a ton per acre, but
the average amount is around 1000
pounds to the acre. This fertilizer
costs from $38 to $42 per ton.
There is not more than one planter
in hundred who does not spray his
growing potato vines to prevent
blight. The most common mixture
used called Bordeaux is a combin-
alton of blue vtriol and lime, and is
put on by a sprayer made for this
purpose, the mixture being diluted
with ten parts of water.
AS much farming as possible is
done by machinery The seed is
dropped by a planter hauled by two
horses end operated by two men, and
in that way about five acres per day
can be covered The machine dis
tributes the fertilizer at the same time
that it drops the seed. On the large
farms, when planting is finished the
cultivating begins at the other end,
and horse hoes are used to dig out
the weeds and build up the hills The
fields have to be gone over six or sew
en- times during the season. which
keeps the farmer pretty busy. The /
spraying of the vines to prevent
blight and to kill the bugs is done
with an ordinary sprinkler, which is
driven through the fields three or
four times during the season.
The digging commences about the
goth of August and continues in fair
weather until the middle of October
The great bulk of the crop is dug be-
tween Sept 20 and Oct TO- and the
work Is done by large machines,
drawn by four horses. which turn
out about three acres day. Nobody
has ever been ingenious enough to
invent machine to pick up the po-
tatoes and place them in the sacks
or barrels for shipment, and II re-
qures 10 or II men to follow every
machine. Many of the farmers have
potato cellars constructed for stor-
ing their crop and holding it for high
er prices, which is a great adEant-
age, because the buyers from the cit
les endeavor to beat down prices as
much as possible and have their
tricks which fool the farmers every