Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-23
Weekly Bureau of In
formation for All Who
Tiu the Soil or Are In
terested in Making Home.
EASTERN SHORE POTATO
CROP SHORT THIS YEAR
Farmers Finding That Ground Is
Yielding Only About Half OF
Former Quantity.
METHOD OF HANDLING CROPS
Producers Find Fertilizer Has INSULT
cient Potash and Experience Trou-
bic From CsbbaSe Lice and Wet
Weather.

Weather.
Eae Irish potato crop will BE short
on Eastern Shore this year. Com
pared 20 las' year snd two years ago.
the crop is failure. Seventy-fve bar
in the past; now thirty barrels 20 the
acre is about tho average.
TIE difficulty o: getting sufficient
Potash in the fer:IliEer is generally as
cribed as the Cause o: the poor Weld.
Ir other words. il is the fault of the
war. and the Germans are to blame.
However. there are two other i'm
portant matters to be considered in de-
termining the reasons for failure OF
the crop; namely, excessive rainfall
End cabbage lice.
1t is universally true that the poor
planted in February or early March.
The unusually wet. cold weather Of
early spring checked growth. The po-
tato blight was particularly noticeable
II, every field that was planted early.
The green aphid. which has hereto
fore confined his attacks to cabbaEes,
is quite numerous this year and droves
have left the cabbage patch for the
adjacent potato field 10 the dismay Of
the farmer. who seems to be inpotent
10 defend himself against this new
enemy. The potato bug is an old enc
him. He sprays the potato leaves with
Paris green. which soon kills the bug.
but IL has no effect whatever on the
lice.
The farmer depends almost entirely
on foreign labor TO harvest his CROP
His regular help is otherwise engaged.
While he is marketing his potatoes, nc
has his corn TO pillow. his cabbage
plants to set out, and his sweet o.
tatoes to work. The working !orce in
a potato field is called crew. Nearly
all are negro men and women. mostly
women. 1t requires force of some
1000 to market the crop, and the
greater part of them come from Nor
folk
The wage this year has been raised
from 10 cents to 10 cents per barrel.
This increase is due solely to the fail
ure OF the crop. Last year when po-
tatoes yielded serenty-five barrels TO
the acre, man could dig twenty-five
barrels a day, for which he was paid
$3.50. This the negro calls living
wages" and. considering the character
or the work. this pay is not excessive.
This year. with potatoes yielding thirty
barrels to the acre. he can pick only
ifteen barrels day, SO the negro de-
inands is cents barrel to make his
living wages"
The methods used in harvesting have
not changed. There are a few machines
e.
gers which dig the potatoes and leave
them scattered on the ground ready
for the parrel. but the good old way
OF blowing the potatoes with turn plow
and gravelinS by hand is the general
plan followed The potato digger can
not be used where potatoes are fol-
lowed by corn crop. and IL seems to be
The general custom on the Eastern
Shore 10 have two crops on the same
land Corn is planted between the rows
OF growing potatoes, and IL has been
found impracticable 10 use the potato
digging machine on account Of the
growing corn. However, when the
iirmer follows his potatoes with wheat
or barley he can use the digger to
advantage.
The plowman will invariably throw
Tour rows of potatoes in one heap row.
He first plows up the two inside rows.
which must be graveled before he
p!o"S the two outside rows. This is
done 10. protect the growing corn.
The riowRsn Will start TO turning
up potatoes about o'clock in the
afternoon or later If not day. and
the crew begins to gravel or shake
out potatoes and put in piles Early
the next morning the crew will barrel
up what they have gravelcd our The
preceding afternoon while the farmer,
WIN ms ioca! force. is hauling to the
oepot the barrels - fast as they are
hiled no potatoes are allowed TO re-
main exposed the ground in Tho
middle Of a hot day
In barfe!ing potatoes the crew must
De careful TO put the primes-an no
tatoes larger than an egS-in one bar
rel. and the smaller potatoes. called
cuNs. in another
frequently during the present season
heaNy rains have made the ground ION
wei LOT plowing and SO the potato
crews had no employment The crews
h(lf
1rolic. 1T never occurs to them % e.
pect their employer to give them other
employment when its rains. The crew
must lose and not the farmer when il
is Impossible to dig potatoes
The farmer is in no way resuon.ih,e
FOR the New York City emoarrn whi,i,,
prevented the shipment of potslo.s tnr
several days He could not shin t,s
potatoes therefore. he could moi dig
ne could not control the New York
the heavy rainfall.
All the crews accepted this ne = mat,
ter or course. with the execution ~
several white crews. who gornlai,.d
that they should receive rerulac ON
pigment Not getting coustan, unrl
they quit in a body, leavirr ,h. , s0rN
trs without any help in the miisr ~
the harvest, with potatoes selling ~
IS a barrel! at
TWO lessons are learned ny this
. experience with potatoes. which
the FARMER vii! do well 10 heed; frst
ne shou!n pay more attention TO under
ground drainage. second he must pra
pare TO night next years CROP Of cab
bage lice.
BY putting thing under all his low
GROUNDS he VIII prevent his potatoes
from drowning, which is so common
this season.
The farmer will be prepared for ,ha
cabbage lice next year and will greet
them with the lates, approved sprav
The Difference
STANDARD br ed. tnul :, nd q ..r.