Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-05-19

tatoes per acre, which barely paid h
expenses Of growing them. I then con
cluded to go int d%airying for the n
sole reason of cutting my potato acre
g in half. but still grow as many
bushels in aggregate. namely, $4,000.
Last year l harvested better than 49,
900 bushels from h 100 acres Of
usually heavy rainfall completely
drowned about ten acres and damaged
the balance Of h crop to a consider
able extent. And l firmly believe that
with seed selection, thorough prepa-
ration and manuring Of h ground, I
can grow 0 bushels of Early Ohio
potatoes per acre.
II get a great deal of pleasure In
growing big crops"
Rotation Kills Diseases.
Many Of the potato diseases appar-
emily live over in the soil from ear
I o year. and naturally accumulate If
the same land. One of h most essen
tial factors in controlling potato dis
eases is to rotate the crop. In fact,
seed potatoes should perhaps not be
grown on land that has been planted
in potatoes for four or five years pre-
vious. which will insure h soil being
free from all previous contamination.
lIlSl Al Scou pIOpcIIS SS1cCIcu anu
treated to insure it not being diseas-
ed, is planted in this clean land, rea-
sonably disease free potatoes should
be expected.
1t has been found by many who
have taken sufficient interest in the
subject to make close observation, that
the growing Of clover. alfalfa, sweet
clover. or other leguminous crops. are
very beneficial to the succeeding po-
20 IN c,.or t. 10 hotrD fn,,rN thot ou,oot
clover is one of the very best crops
to use in rotation for this purpose. al
though it is probable hat sweet clover
mas nc advantage over alfalfa, except
that the seed is less expensive and it
Is a little bit more easily started, and
Is only biennial. The deep growing.
large roots of the sweet clover loosen
up the soil perhaps better than any
other crop that car be grown, and
leaves the soil in just the proper con-
dition for potatoes.
On the 1. H. c. demonstration farm
this fall, we had a 40 acre field that
will next year come around in the
regular rotation for a cultivated crop.
This field in 1914 was in corn. and in
1915 in small grain and seeded down
to grasses. 10 acres Of which we're
sweet clover, 10 acres alfalfa, and 20
acres timothy and clover. Two crops
of hay were cut from this last year,
and from 10 to IL loads Of manure
spread e acre and plowed 8 inches
deep. This blowing was done with an
S-16 tractor, pulling two 14-inch bot
toms. AS The work was along the
main o a great man. of the neigh
bors stopped to observe the blowing
as it was being done, and nearly every
one remarked what a great potato
crop such land would grow next year.
We hope there are many potato fields
in as good condition, and al well pre-
pared for this years planting, as
this one. but are afraid there are
many that are not, and Is a result the
yields will undoubtedly be below what
they could be.
AS indicated by Mr.. s%chroeder's let
ter, there is absolutely no question but
that it is profitable to put the land in
such shape before planting it to pota-
toes.
Treat Seed Before Planting.
opinions of Clay county. Minnesota,
potato growers, regarding the value
OF seed selection and special treat
ment before seeding:
THE potatoes we planted in our
trial plot were hand picked as to size
and shape. and were treated with cor
rosive subVmate, the same as the res,
Of h poNtoes. They were not ex-
amined for stem-end rot, otherwise
they were planted in the same kind OF
ground with no more fertility, and no,
cultivated n more than the rest OF
the field. The results were: Selected
seed yielded 1873 bushels per acre
while the bin run seed yielded only
Is bushels per acre.
"(Signed) H. P. Hendrickson, Ulen
Mimi"
I'm making a few remarks regard.
ing the potato seed plot demonstration
work carried on In the county for the
past two years, l will say it has proven
to me to be of great value to the DO,
tato growers. My experiences in 191i
with seed raised from my 1914 plo
was an Increase of about 80 per GER
in yield over seed raised from the res
OF the field. or check plot. Beside,
quality.
"tsigned> o. J. Grover. Glyndon
Mimi"
Last year I selected and treated
seed to plant five acres Of potatoes.
found this five acres to pay SO wei
that I am going to select and trea
enough Tor nifty acres this comini
year. The actual cost In both time ant
material used 10 30 small that I can
not afford not to do it. Sixty acres O
selected and treated seed will a bet
ter than ninety acres Of common. un
treated stock. -
"(sisned) Van NJ. Storm. Baker
Mimi" :,
The question Of selecting and treat
one. In 1915 I planted 3.4l acres Wit
selected and treated aAeA IN +ha ss~,