Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-11-03

Presaue Isle, Me. Nov. 2-Last
spring there were planted to potatoes.
on what is known as the Hoyt &
Wheeler fearm. 145 acres, 9s of which
We're of the variety known as Irish
Cobblers. From this 90 acres, there
We're raised 10, l63 barrels of potatoes. .
10 acres. of the &c. which We're planted
to a strain of Gobbler seed. imported
from Ireland two years ago, yielded
3.S07 barrels.
The average yield an acre for the
entire plant was therefore a fraction
over 149 barrels. OF the 19 acres the
average was almost exactly 200 barrels.
and on about six rows of the field. the
yield Was at the rate of I'll barrels per
acre.
The Hoyt & Wheeler farm consists
of something over 400 acres, located
on the Aroostook river on what is
known as the Reach road. about four
miles from Presque Isle village. OF
the 400 acres in the farm there are
about 800 cleared, and besides the po-
tato crop, there are ordinarily about
100 tons of hay produced and approx
imately 1000 bushels of grain.
Everything in the line of hay and
grain is consumed on the farm. No
attention is paid to dairying. the hay.
grain and straw being fed to young
stock tn large extent which are
bought by the firm and, after being
put into marketable condition, are
then sold. Until within the past year
or two, there We're kept on the farm
about $50 hogs, but this was found un-
profitable on account of the care re-
quired. and the difficulty of getting
suitable help to do it.
The potato crop of the farm, when
harvested, is stored in two large po-
tato houses on the siding of the b. &
a. railroad, the road running through
the farm.
One of these houses is 40x140 feet
and the other is 40Xl20. The larger
of the two houses. has at the present
time stored in il $4,000 barrels of po-
tatoes. In the other there are 10000
barrels, both houses being filed to
their capacity, including the aisles and
overhead.
Take Great Care.
ing and storing so that the tubers
may be housed in the best possible
condition for keeping. That this is i'm
portant, and that it pays to take this
great care, is demonstrated by the
fact that. Notwithstanding 1.-THE great
bulk of stock in the houses. and the
fact that the weather great deal Of
the time since potato digging has
been unseasonably warm. the potatoes
have been found. upon the bins being
opened for shipment, to be in sound
and perfect condition. The crop Is
now in process of shipment and will
be gotten out at the rate of two car
loads Il day during the coming season.
The first installments go To the east
ern shore of Virginia, later in the sea
son to Texas and North and South
Carolina. This trade runs through
January and February. Then orders
are again received from Virginia, and
finally from New Jersey, and again at
the extreme end of the season they go
to Virginia for cold storage until the
late plant. One buyer from Virginia
handles practically all the Irish Cob
blers. this man taking out of Aroos-
took about 10000 bags of Cobbler seed
IL the process of raising this i'm
mense crop of potatoes, the seed is all
sorted, cut by hand. planted
by the use of the Robbins planter, us
ing about seven barrels of seed to the
acre. AS soon as the planting season
is over and the plants break the
ground. they are buried by horse hoes
The crop is hoed from five to seven
times during the season and frequent
ly and thoroughly cultivated. 1t is
sprayed from four to six times, the
owners believing that spraying is OF
vital importance to the health of the
potatoes, and that it conduces To rais-
ing to better and finer stock.
About 1900 pounds of high grade fer
tiliZer was used to the acre the past
the practice having been dur
ing the time Hoyt & Wheeler have
conducted the farm to increase the
amount of fertilizer used it having
been found profitable to do so, the en-
tire amount used being NOR th9 = ef
set by the increased yield of potatoes
Houses for Help.
The farm employs regular crew OF