New Britain herald., 1915-02-03
LoCa, Man Gives Address at YGQs- table GIlwGrS' Meeting Today.
TRAVEL l,600 MILES IN FARM CART
Scott's swamp Farmer Honored at PomolOGiCai Society Con, cntion- Livingston Boys Home After 3.2OO Mile Trip-(an't EConOmizc Here.


 raising the tubcrs during the past few years, Joseph A. Pagan. the well known Scott's swamp farmer. was honored as one of the principal speakers at the meeting of the Nege- table Growers association held in Hartford today in connection with the annual session of the PomOlogical society.
 Mir. Pagan spoke on "Potatoes as Farm tTOp." and related his eXperi- enCes as d grower of this vegetable during in" past fourteen years. He attributed much of his success to the study of the vegetabl itself and he made a plea to the farmers to further their own interests by getting better acCuaintci with the experiment sta tons and the agricultural college which, he said. have storehouses of Knowledge that is of inca lculable value to the agriculturist.
 MT. Fagans talk in part follows:
 While | may have made a record with potatoes as d farm crop. 1t may be Of some interest to the members of tho Vegetable Growers association as well as members of the Genealogical society, that up to the year 1900, when l was A years of age. I had no experience in farming, having always lived in Hartford. 1 believed that potatoes might be made a good main crop for q farmer, consequently l began the study of potato farming, taking my first lessons from H. H. Stafford. whom l believed could ex- plain the relation of the crop to the soil and the relation of plant food to crop and soil better than any man I sir II lt tn n and slept potatoes. l bounded the U S. department of agriculture well the Connecticut Agri- cultural College and Experiment Station for information as to raising potatoes. Right here l may say that farmers as rule are not ready enough to take advantage of the inn mense advantages offered by the gov ernmcnt through our experiment sta ton and agricultural college to fur ther their interests, and l am in debted to these sources more than any other for whatever of success l have eXperienced in potato raising. In my opinion Connecticut is far ahead of any other state in research work. Connecticut was the first to discover the source of white diarrhoea in chickens, and Connecticut was the first to winter the potato blight on oat meal
 My farm is The Scotts swamp Farm in the town of Farmington and one of the first to be settled in that town. It was sold by the Indians to the family that owned it con tinuously until I bought it in 1900 In it's 175 acres lies the old camping ground of the Red Men. We have 50 acres of plowed land. beautiful springs of pure water, a never failing brook. some pasture, meadows, white birch. sprout land, scenery. etc We are 1-2 miles from Pennington steam railroad station, 3 1-2 miles from the borough of Farmngton, 3 miles from PlainNille, 1-2 miles from Forest vile, i miles from Bristol miles from Unionvillc, miles from New Britain and II 1-2 miles from Hart ford. This has been our permanent home since 1902, the family consist ing of MT and Mrs. and' two little girls five and six, Mary and Theresa.
 Bear Story.
 My working force consists of my self and one man the year round cX- Cept at harvest time, one team of horses and one driving horse. keep one COW, twenty-five chickens and started with eight sheep and ram, which flock grew to one hundred, al- ways in good health.
 In 1904 l raised three acres of po- tatoes. producing about 600 bushels
 In 1902 six acres and sold 1,2OO bushels. This crop rotted badly but it was such great crop it paid
 In 1903 nine acres and produced 1 $50 bushels That year I bought a power spraNer.
 In 1904, eleven acres, I raised D. 400 bushels. This year lost many lN rot although I sprayed.
 1905, sixteen acres. and raised D. 900 bushels, sprayed and had very little rot.
 These years told the story of the necessity for moro thorough work.
 In 1906 one measured acre pro | duced 30G bushels less two lbs, but in prcpa ring this same acre for grass 1 seed we found 20 bushels more. mak- ing 326 bushels. This remarkable i yield was claimed by many to bc an ] accident to the discomfort of the 1 men who paid for the weighing.
 In 1907 l planted fifteen acres which produced i.500 bushels of sal able potatoes We measured one acre, which produced 3S1 bushels and 13 | lbs. This acre was treated under the usual field culture.
 March, 1908. my house burned and that year l raised 20 acres the crop being Il failure with 1,S00 bushels This year l was like the lrshman Wh" was asked how his potatoes turned out He replied. "They didn't yield as well as thought they would. thought thy wouldn't t.'
 1909. tWcnty-fOur acres 5,400 bushels
 1910 started to build Il house, raised less than three acres.