The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-04-25
Raising Potatoes.
{ bennington Banner.)

This section of Vermont is fast /
working up to the need of growing
more food crops and scores of village |
people are planning to enlarge gardens |
and plant small fields of potatoes, beans
and other crops.
The growing Of potatoes in Benning-
ton and vicinity promises probably the
best as most of our land will produce
Just as fine potatoes as even the famous
Aroostook region in Maine. The soil
here is a little harder to work but if
properly done the crop will be as large
County Farm Agent Shaw will give
talk to those interested on the sub
Jcct some evening during the next
three weeks, but in the meantime ar
rangements should be made for land,
seed and fertilizer. The blowing can
also be done now at any time and
those who do this work are sure to be
rushed with orders a little later
Potatoes will do well on land that is
not freshly MANFRED provided the soil
is not devoid of humus. Humus is de-
caYed vegetable matter and a certain
amount Of it is essential to almost any
crop. Old pasture land that has a thick
sod and lot Of dead grass Of last
year S growth will often grow a good
crop Of potatoes with no other fertilizer
A little commercial fertilizer will help
give 4 start. Land wen MANFRED last
year for some other crop is particularly
desirable. Fresh green manure is like
" to make the crop scabby and too
much nitrogen develops tops instead OF
potatoes.
The preparation Of the ground is i'm
portant. If the burrows are not turned
over to lay level particularly on green
sward, there will be air spaces i'll Tho
soil which will prevent the proper cir
iculation of moisture and the WELD vii
be disappointing. After the land i
carefully plowed see that it is well har
rowed and .then narrowed then har
rowed some more. Half the secret o
growing crops is in the thorough
preparation Of the soil before the seeO
4 is put into the ground.
!. Unless the ground is rather wet
t plant deep-threo to four inches an,
: plant so that after the seed is in tn
ground will be level. 1t viii make tn
Y hoelng much easier to not have tn
. hills or lows raised above the Surfac
Q of the ground at the start. The see
II should he dropped from II to % inche
! apart according TO variety and til
/ size Of the seed.
i DO not ent the seed potatoes to
i fine. Two eyes 10 the piece is no
enough unless Their, is good hi
: chunk of potato attached to the tw
=. eyes. If too skimping in seed the yiel
;, will show the effect and the potatot
II will be small \ small potato ont {
Ia q good hill, however is good seed {
= ancestry i'll a potato is just as impor
~ ant as III a Horned DORSET ram.
I planting small potatoes it is best I
~ clip off the eye on seed end 50 that
10 will not send up too many shoots.
i small potato has just as many ewes
an n big one.
If in doubt about how to cut Il
seed see Mr.. Shaw, the county agsn
Supt. 4. w Naney or some Earm
- who has had experience i'll pota
growing.
ca For varieties two Of the best yari
ties in this section. arc Gold Coin Al
-e, !t5Eean NJ mnntain.. Jhpt- thot9r IA q apRa
or just as good. Thare are. however. son
poor varieties and these should
,e iavoided.
n Spraying is important but ism t Ia
- so big a job as some people fear nc
that ready mixed sprays can be bong
M and only water has to be added Bt
M deaux and Paris green or arSenate
IN lead should be used. for blight a
err bugs. it is essential that the sprays
used ut the proper time, but On 4 sn