The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-04-19

2
than by any planter that was ever
made; by giving more uniform
stand, it will give from 1000 to
5000 pounds more potatoes TO the
acre, which will pay well for the
extra time.
Ii the ground gets weedy or
there comes a rain and forms a
crust over it, give it a good har-
rowing, as in that way you can
keep the weeds out Of the rows.
Harrow as many times as they
need it, and when they begin to
come up cultivate as close as you
can and not move The seed. 1t
will not harm them if you should
cover up what is in sight. Here
is where the straight planting
comes in to advantage. You can
get close and not move the hill,
keep them cultivated and clean,
and SO long as they are growing
good they do not need watering.
But as soon as they begin to wilt
and get dark green, begin to ir-
rigate, and after that time never
let g.. the ground .get dry for it
checks the growth aud begins to
ripen them. Wien they are irri-
gated again, part has been
checked, consequently the potato
begins to grow somewhere else,
and it starts knobs and small pot
atoes everywhere and producesa
tuber that is unusual. 1t also
produces loo many small ones.
[ have tested it until [ am salts
fled that that is the cause of scaly
potatoes-letting them go too long
without water. They get scaly
and it gives them mouldy taste.
One season | plowed up a piece of
alfalfa sod that had never grown
potatoes. | planted it to potatoes.
| picked out enough of the scab-
best ones that | could find and
planted three rows near the center
of the patch. kept the ground
moist all season and when we dug
them in the fall, there was not
scaly one in the three rows. A
short distance from them | planted
three rows with potatoes that did
not have sign of scale-I had
water, SO that [ could apply it any
time that I wanted to, and | let
these three rows get dry every
time, just kept them growing, but
out made fair sized potatoes out
of them. In the fall when [ dug
the middle row [ did not have
potato in it that was not scaly.
The outside rows were not quite
so bad as they had got water when
| irrigated the others.
| do not want my rows over 20
or 25 rods long, then when | irri-
gate | turn a good head into each
row until it gets just about
through then shut down to just
enough to run through to the end
of the row, then | turn it into more
rows so that in that way / soon
get the water into as many rows
as | have water for and they are
all taking water at the same time
I let it run until it gets the rows
soaked through, or most of them
and have the tops of the ridges a
little dry then move the water
over to the other rows.
The first irrigation, you may
get them wet enough in four or
five hours but if your rows are too
wide apart, it may take longer.
In one issue of your paper one
person advised turning in a very
small stream into each row so that
it would take a day or two to get
through. / should think in that
way, the first would get too wet
by the time the water got through
to the other end and the water
would have to be turned off before
it had done them much good.
After each irrigation as soon as
the ground is dry enough, Guilt
vate them until the potatoes get
so large that it would disturb