Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-05-24

z los1y porATo49 ~ I'M
e. =. go susliE PER AtslE.
A Missouri MAN chains i produo-
tlon os &c DushSls on ~ Not
Only Eight Fest squars.
BlBy H. M. George, for six years
editor Of The american Home
stead, national farm
monthly.
FOrty-two bushels of potatoes
in the season Of 1917, from plot
OF ground only eight feet square,
or an. equivalent of over q, 900
bushels to the acre was the as
tonishing feat of R. p. Hendricks,
ia resident of Kansas City, Mo.
This sensational achievement
was made possible by the use Of
an entirely new and original
method which, when generally
introduced promises not only TO
revolutionize the potato growing
industry throughout the world,
but to solve the problem of an
unfailing source Of cheap food
supply for the nations of the
earth.
The story of Mr.. Hendricks
successful experiments in potato
growing, covering. period of
three years, sounds more like a
fairy tale than a recital of facts,
vet it is so unique and interesting
that it at once compels attention.
Expert gardeners and farmers
who have looked into the plan
carefully pronounce it not only
practical but call the originator
the greatest plant wizard of the
|,age, and declare that he has any
thing in plant culture and in
tensive agriculture beaten by a
wide margin.
Like all great discoveries, Mr.
Hendricks method OF raising po-
tatoes is founded on such simple
elemental principles that one
wonders why someone didn't
think of it before. He had OTTER
watched the potato pile in the
cellar bin, which every spring
sent out its shoots through every
possible crack and crevice, Some
times these sprouts would craw
out along the floor a distance o.
seven feet in order to reach the
Hight. From this beginning hi
conceived the idea that if this
Ipile was removed out into thu
open and given soil and fertilizer
with proper conditions of ligh
land moisture, that the potatoes
would grow and reproduce theil
kind.
Three years ago he built wha
he called a potato pen, which wa.
nothing more or less than hug,
potato hill, the sides of which
were supported by a loosely con.
structed enclosure, built after tn,
fashion of an old rail fence
Within this enclosure, only 8 b,
8 feet in size, he planted his pota.
toes in thin layers of dirt ant
manure, piling one layer on an.
other until the pen was eight fee
high. The potato PEN became
mound of green. He had fount
that his potatoes not only grew
BETTER than they did in the cellar
but that at digging time he wa
liable to harvest 40 bushels of a.
fine potatoes as. are grown any
where. The following year h
Isecured 80 bushels in the sam
size pen, and last year the aston
fishing total was ~ bushels.
Up to this time Mr.. Henrick
has conducted his experiment
unknown to but a few of his mos
intimate associates, but owing t,
the present food shortage, an,
the nationwide campaign t,
speed up food production, he de
cided to give up his discovery TO
the free use of people everywhere
The details of the construction
land management Of these "potat,
pens" as described by Mr.. Hen
ldricks, outline a plan by whicl
anyone having access to a plot o
Iground no larger than flower
i bed can raise. all the lpotatoe
needed for an average family 70
a whole year. The potato pen
4 Then put an inch or two of vel
|any length, just so they are bull
strong enough to keep the side,
from spreading. Most any kin,
|of good stout material can b,
fused. If light lumber or board.
are used the pen may be brace,
through the center with wires
Rich earth and we'll rotted manur,
must be on hand in sufficien
quantities to fill the pen to thu
ltop.
The potato pen is built 6 fee
1 q f - .