Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-01-12

remarked Joe. 1T will make hum
dred bushels Of corn and maybe more
next year, without another pound Of
barnyard fertilizer or an ounce of COM
mercial stuff"
Link and Mrs. Weston and Annie
had busted themselves cutting up the
Irish potatoes for the seed to plant.
being careful to leave at least two
eyes" from which the sprouts would
come, on each piece Of potato. 1t was
! Il tremendous job. Joe occupied the
| next day sweeping up leaves in the
grove. packing them across the road in
sacks to spread in the rows After
| the potato cutting was under way and
the end in sight Link was called into
| the game and helped with the leaves.
The next day Mr.. Weston plowed
| the acre for the potatoes. turning it un-
der deeply, cross breaking and harrow
ing. The years work on the land in
turning under stuff had helped it won
derfully
The rows were then laid of with the
bull tongue plow, and Link and Joe
commenced dropping the potatoes in,
| after first scattering liberal quantity
| Of vegetable grower commercial fer
! tiliZer in the bottom Of the rows. Then
| the sacks Of leaves were taken and
the seed potato pieces covered three or
four inches deep. One Of the horses
was hitched to a drag made of square
piece of timber eight feet long, and
which was hitched by a single tree to
! the horse. Joe stood on the timber
tnd drove the horse at right angles to
the rows. 1t covered the potatoes per-
fectly and packed the dirt on them
anu at the same time smoothed the
surface Of the field.
Link looked on and finally scratched
his head retlectively as he remarked:
| Dat looks ter me like err funny way
ter plant Eaters. I alters seen 'em
planted in hills"
Most folks do that for two reasons
-one to keep the water from standing
on the seed and rotting them, and the
other is to have plenty Of loose dirt to
| keep the seed moist and for the young
potatoes to develop in"
well, whuts de reason O. dis?'
Ever notice an Irish potato plant
with root and young potatoes on it?'
"Nossuh.'
"Well. pulled one up and studied
it. The young potatoes are formed
above the roots which grow from the
bottom of the main stem. I put those
leaves in there above the part that will
be the root to give a loose place for
the young potatoes to develop. And 1t
| will make the potatoes cleaner and
larger"
"Uh huh, sorter Sees"
And if had planted in high hills l
would have had to cultivate with hoes,
| wouldn't l? There's no plow that
would do any good, is there, on hills
most foot high?"
| Link shook his head.
$50, this way, for the first two work
| ings I'll use horse and cultivator and
get it done in short order. The last
working, when the potatoes are form
ing, I'll run a plow through and throw
the dirt on either side right against the
potato plants. That will make a hill
and give plenty Of room for the young
|
| "Yeah-an' hit won't be baked by
de sun an hard. Hit'll be loose at de
very time when it's needed loose!' ~ex-
claimed the darky.
! That's what l thought. I never
heard of anybody else planting pota-
toes this way, but it looks like reason
and common sense to me. Don't you
think so? There's no reason to put
| hills here at first, because the land is
we'll drained and deep plowed. Water
| won't stand on it,
Seems sensibul to me-" agreed Link.
Mister Joe, what made yo' think o.
| dat way to plant pertaters?'
Wanted to do the work at less cost
and make profit
Mister Joe, just persizely whut Is
er 'profit?' l ain never got dat right
in mer min yit. l knows bout Bible
prophets, but what's dis kim yo' is
| alters talkin' erbout?"
THE less it costs you to make a crop
of corn or potatoes the more you make
when you sell, because you don't have
to deduct from the price you get the
Increased cost Of making the crop. It's
! the difference between what it costs
you to make crop and what your stuff
brings
But dis yere later crop amt costin'
yo' nothin' 'cept de seed, So with O.
| fertilizer an de time wuckin' HIT
THAT'S it. Time can be turned into
money. The less time it takes to make
these potatoes the more time 1 will
have to put on something else to make
money OH. Seer"
Il does" said Link proudly. Il
wants ter learn desc things, kase Use
gwine be er farmer like yo' is gwine
| ter be. sho as yo' bawn.''
That night Joe got down the nicely
| bound blank book he had purchased
! for quarter in town and prepared to
| open his account of operations for the
year. The rules Of the Corn club con-
test required that every move he made.
with dates and items of expense be
noted as made.
Before going to work on his book
he told about how Link had finally
got the idea that time was money.
Mr.. Weston laughed.
THAT reminds me Of another story
they tell on Hen Tucker. He was in
town one day. and Teller was on the
street sellin' new kind Of incubator.
Hen stood right in front of the crowd,
mouth open, takin' it all in. The man
| explained that the incubator would do