The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-12-11
Published in Scientific American I'M
der Date of June Is,
1896.
SPROUTS BEFORE PLANTING
It Took From 60 to rs Potatoes to
- Fill a Bushel
Basket.

The article below quoted, though
sixteen years old, should be of inter
est to potato growers, considering the
high authority from which it is tax
en-. The original article is accom-
panied by photograph of a single
hill of potatoes uncovered from an
acre which the grower claimed pro-
duced 5000 bushels to the acre. We
regret we cannot reproduce this pho
tograph.
Scientific American, Jan. 25th,
1896:
"Mr. c. E. Ford Of Rusk, Texas,
who writes that he has been taking
and has kept files of the Scientific
American for thirty years, sends a
photograph from which the accom-
2anying photograph was made, and
gives us particulars of the remark
able success he has achieved in rails
ing potatoes. The potatoes he pre-
fers for forcing are the Early Rose
variety, the vines or stalks growing
6 to feet, and but seldom blooming
or having balls
The Triumph is said to make
crop quicker than the Early Rose,
and to stand the dry weather better
Mr.. Ford believes in Intensive Gull
ture, or the higher fertilizing and in
creased labor on small piece of
land, rather than little labor and fer
tilizing on large tract.
''He sprouts his potatoes to the
size of English peas or marbles be-
fore planting and then raises a crop
in from four to six weeks, all of large
size. without a peck of small pota.
toes to an acre. He writes:
:'There were forty seeds the size
of peas planted to every hill. plant
my potatoes in the water furrow and
leave a balk to inches wide, and
then the potato seed is dropped On
the balk, part of the seed falls On
each side of the narrow balk. [
cover with two burrows of turning
plow, make my rows two feet apart,
the hills 1S inches apart in row,
which makes LAO hills across an acre
and 70 rows to the acre makes $500
double hills of potatoes to the acre,
or 1860 single hills. AS you will
see, hill of forty seed potatoes goes
across the balk making the hill cover
some 1S inches, or half the ground
1 never plant less than 60, and the
go will every one make as fine pota-
toes if we have plenty of rain.
"I also give my potatoes fertiliz-
ing with liquid manure every rain.
It takes from 60 to rs potatoes to
make bushel, never more than Is.
have kept the same seed for 26
years and have potatoes both sweet =
and Irish the whole year around.
"'By sprouting your potatoes you
have eating potatoes in less than
one-half the time it takes under the
old style of planting. 1t takes from
four to six weeks to sprout the seed
potato to the size of peas; the sprout
room keep warm by a small char
coal fire in a bake oven. One barrel
of charcoal will be plenty for the
whole time. I put my potatoes in
small barrels or boxes, so as to get
them warm easier than in big heap
Or bulk The smaller the boxes the
easier and quicker they will sprout.
When the potatoes get large enough
knock off the hoops, take down the
slaves, and there are thousands up
On thousands of small potatoes from
The size of a birds eye to that of
peas and few the size of marbles;
the whole mass is held together with
small roots. I take hand barrel
and carry the seed down the row,
and the third person breaks Off as
many as you wish, not less than 20
TO 40, and let them fall on the balk
N the water furrow and give two
Dlowings. Ny sprout house has dou-
bic walls and is filled between with
sawdust, also overhead, and has dou-
bic doors -
7 IL hof Tot II csna