New Britain herald., 1915-09-16
Plainville News FARMER PAGAN MAY
 BREAK OWN RECORD
Potato King Expects to Harvest
 Wonderful Crop of "Spuds"
FEDERAL EXPERTS VISIT HIM
Spraying Keeps Blight Away From Scott's Swamp Farn1-Crop Grown Under Direction of Yale Professor Abandoned Farm Made Fertile


 Abandoned Farm Made Fertile.
 Despite the frequent July rains and other unfavorable conditions which are expected to make big in roads on the potato crop Ill practic-
 ally every part of Connecticut, Joseph A. Pagan of Scott's Swamp, who is rapidly acquiring fame as the Potato King of the state, is making prepara- tions to harvest perhaps as large a quantity of tubers as he gathered
 Ia year. when he esta blished a new record for this locality, raising 5000
 bushels of "spuds'' on twenty acres of land Mr. Pagan is making no pre- dictions as to what the harvest Will
 show at his place but the splendid condition of the crop and the aoso-
 lute absence of blight, Whlch IS rals- ing havoc with the potatoes all over the state, indicates that he Will equal
 if not excel, his remarkable achleVe-
 ment of year ago.
 The enterprising Scott's swamp
 farmer again this year has twenty acres planted with potatoes. EHa1nl-
 nation of the fields during the past few days shows the results or the
 scientific methods which the owner
 employed in growing the tubers' not
 2, sign of decay having been d1s- covered in any of the numerous nliis that were uncovered. Every potato dug thus far has been found to be sound. constant spraying during the summer, having warded off the deadly blight.
 Professor G. P. Clinton of Yale, who is in charge of the experiment station l conducted here under federal super l vision, visiting the farm recently. l It was under instructions from this | expert that MT. Pagan coaxed the growth of the tubers and to him, the 1 Scott's Swamp agriculturist attributes much of the credit for the success 1 that has attended his efforts. While many other farmers trusted entirely to nature to get the potatoes ready
 for harvest, scoffing at the new fangled scientific methods introduced by the government experts, MT. Pagan admits that he practically bounded the federal representatives in his
 search for information, getting from Professor Clinton a wealth of ma terial which he used to advantage ir planting and caring for his crop. He sprayed ms potato vines eight or nine times during the summer, after it was apparent that the excessive 1 moisture would probably produce blight. He spent s2oo for the mix ture and labor required to save his ] tGbers from the dreaded scourge ! Nevertheless he is we'll satisfied with the results and in a short time 1 he expects to start collecting the l profits for his labor. Unless some thing unforeseen develops MT. Pagan l is bound to reap a substantial re- 1 ward for his summers work as po- 1 tatoes are expected to bring a high 1 figure this year. Last year his pota- | toes brought an average price of 75c l per bushel.
 Nearly 400 bushels of seed (396 to l be exact) were planted on the farm l this year. Two bushels less were l SoWn year ago.
 Prospects for the crop looked bad during the early summer, copious and frequent rains during July keeping the soil so moist that disaster was threatened, signs of blight having been discovered throughout the state. Acting on the recommendation of Professor ClintOn which was in line with the result of his own observa tions during his comparatively short experience as a potato grower MT. Pagan started spraying. He kept at it continuously, the mixture used con- quering the blight in it's incipiency. The fields now bid fair to yield an- other large crop and if the previous record which he made is shattered it will not be surprising.
 Starting at the age of forty-four, with practically no experience along agricultural lines, MT. Pagan, then resident of Hartford, bought a run
 down farm of 175 acres in Scott's Swamp. Eager to learn, he haunted the government expertss, getting farming hints from them regularly. This was fifteen years ago. He kept working necessarily despite many dis couraging setbacks, finally getting the soil into productive shape. The land was covered with brush and cedars and it took years to clear it and get it in shape for planting.
 The soil in Plainville is sandy and peculiarly adapted to the cultivation of potatoes After the land on the Pagan farm was repeatedly treated with fertilizer it again became rich enough to plant. Only small part of the farm is used for potatoes, MT. Pagan having been successful in rais- ing hay on a number of acres. A seC- tion of the property is enclosed by wire fences, the owner at one time having started to use it a pasture for sheep. He found the raising of these animals quite profitable until dogs reduced his flock to such an ex- East Berlin, have returned home from | a short stay in Meriden.
 MT. and Mrs. Kramer and family l of East Berlin have left for a short | visit to Boston,
 Miss Elsie Benson of East Berlin is | spending few days with friends in