The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-08
news OF SPECIAL
INTEREST TO The
ACRICULTUR|STS
Seed Bed Needs

/
sary, then disking and narrowing. A
i fine, compact seed bed in which there
| are no holes facilitates the rise Of
| moisture while a loose mulch on top
\ holds it for the plants. The better
| the seed bed is prepared, the bigger
the crops. Clods will not grow crops,
nor hold moisture. It is poor policy
| to pillow under a large amount of or
| ganic matter such as green cover
crops and strawy manure without
| disking just before blowing, because
such coarse layer cuts off the sup
ply of water coming from the sub
soil. A we'll prepared fine. firm, we'll
| drained seed bed is the foundation
of successful crop growing. Make the
home of the plant right.
| Wins State Prize
Lewis Haynes of Phillipston won
the $25 prize offered by Wilfrid
WHEELER, Secretary of thes Massachu-
sets State Board of Agriculture by
raising 39S bushels of potatoes on one
| acre. The boys entered in the con-
test secured from 100 to 375 bushels
| on virgin land which he fertilized
heavily.
Growing Oats in New England
What has been done for the potato
industry bids fair to be done for the
growing of oats in Maine. Dir, c. D.
I Woods of the Maine Experiment Sta
ton points out that in 1913 the aver
age yield of oats in the country was
about 80 bushels per acre. The value
of the Maine oat crop in 1913 was
estimated at a little over three mil
lion dollars. The average yield per
acre of 5 varieties tested during 1912
and 1913 at the Maine Experiment
Station was 1877 bushels and in 1914
1872 bushels, and was three times that
of the average yield for the entire
country.
With such results being obtained at
the Maine Experiment Station, the
farmers of Maine and the other New
England states will within a few,
years, be making greater use of oats
as a farm crop and will be getting
far more profitable yields than ever
before. With, yields suited to climate
and soil, and with proper attention
to the plant food and cultural needs
of the crop the yields of oats and
other farm crops throughout the New
England states can be Increased and
| in many cases more than doubled.
Vacant Lot Gardening
Vacant lot gardenening is being ad-
vocated throughout the United States
as one Of the practical solutions of
the high cost of living. At a recent
conference in New England it was
stated that if the vacant areas in and
around the eastern cities were used
for intensive farming involuntary
poverty would be made impossible.
Reports have been gathered which
show that less than one half of the
land in many eastern cities is built
upon. In Brooklyn there are s49,6SO
acres of land, more than half of which
is idle. If the land was properly used
for intensive cultivation it would sup
port $4,000 families.
Vacant lot gardenening is not diff
cult. Literature in abundance may
be secured from the u. S. Department
of Agriculture, the State Colleges, Ex-
pertinent Stations and other agencies
working to study methods of planting,
the best use of fertilizers, the selec-
ton Of varieties, the buying of seeds
and garden implements, etc. If gar
dening associations are organized in !.
the different cities and a generaly
movement started to permit the using
of vacant lots and other idle lands
for gardens, the result will be that
the production Of vegetables next
year will be much larger. Such use
Of the land is only temporary and
does not interfere with city develop
ment.
Can Cut Living Cost
BY increasing soil fertility and bet
ter cultural methods thus getting lar
ger yields per acre. Secretary of Ag-
riculture, Houston. says the farmers
can break the high cost of living.
With the exception of meat and dairy
products the per capita production of
food commodities has not increased
within the last Is years. The popu-
lation has increased in that time 80
per cent In spite of this there is
ground for optimism as to the ability
of, the country to supply itself with
food and to meet the increasing needs
of the world. To do this the farmers
must grow more on each acre of land
and practice the best methods of soil
fertility and crop production taught
Dy. the department OF agriculture and
the Agricultural Colleges and Expert
ment Stations.
One Spud Every. Three Days
One potato every three days to each
person in the United States, instead of
one potato every day, is the limit al
lowed by the 1916 potato crop, &C.
cording to Eugene H. Grubb, the "Po-
tato King" and owner of extensive
potato lands near Carbonate, Colo.
His figures are based upon an average
of 100 potatoes per bushel and total
production of 25O,000,OOO bushels
which means only a bushel and a.
peck or 1928 potatoes this year for
each American.
I'm knowledge of potato culture
and fertility of the soil farmers In
the United States are from thirty to
fifty .ears behind the farmers of Eur
ope. The potato crop is the most diff
ficult one to grow. This vegetable is
most easily affected from bad soil and
weather conditions. said Mr.. Grubb.
IF farmers of America studied the
raising Of potatoes their crops would
average from 200 to $50 bushels an
acre instead of eighty bushels. as at
present. Some of the best farmers
abroad make their lands yield as high
600 and even ZOO an ooro W.T..