Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-03-07
ABOUT ABOUT CROWNS POTATOES.
Some Of the important Things to Con-
slider, This Year Especially.

|
This year of high priced potatoes the
planting of our normal crop may be q
considerable expense. The outlay fol
fertilizer and labor of planting pota
: toes is always large Item.
|, Now. this year of high priced seed,
which makes this item 500 to $35 pei
acre. there is great danger of planting
too little seed. In fact, there is al
ways the danger of too little seed.
HOW MANY PER ACRE.
The writer observes that to III
bushels are generally planted, which is
usually little enough. but there Will be
temptation to plant much less now.
Farmers Bulletin No. 35, page TO-,
says: "Results which follow IN these
pages suggest that it is generally ad-
vIsable to plant at least Is to 80 bush
els per acre." Tables in some bulle-
tins show that planting two eyes over
one eye increased total yield 26 bushels
per acre and saleable yield 23 bushels
per acre; that quartered potatoes in
creased over one eye, al bushels per
acre; halves over one eye 65 bushels
per acre.
The writer has tested large seed cut
to one eye, compared to medium sized
seed cut to one eye. The yield was as
bushels per acre for medium sized and
80 bushels per acre for the large seed.
So, those w!o cut to one eye, should
use large Iotatoes. Small potatoes
should not bc ut to one eye.
SIZE = SEED PIECES.
Since it Is impossible to increase
quantity OF eed in this section now,
the writer suggests that the size of
seed pieces be not reduced, but planted
one in hill instead of two pieces Ill
hill and put the hills further apart, say
2 to inches further in the row.
In this way some seed may be saved.
Then, if proper care is given to tertil-
ization and cultivation the yield will
not be reduced.
PLANT IN GOOD LAND.
We should not plant potatoes this
year on any but our best land for it is
waste to put $50 worth of seed on
poor land.
Then don't let the plants suffer for
plant food that can be added cheaply.
Of the two foods that can be bought,
phosphorus is generally needed and is
relatively cheap, so apply 200 to 500
pounds of acid phosphate per acre.
Nitrogen is generally needed, but Is
expensive, SO should be bought with
care and applied only where there is
phosphorus and on well cultivated
soil.
POTASH AND NITROGEN.
Potash is too expensive to buy and
experiments show that we can grow |
big crops without 1t. But not SO with
nitrogen; So or SS worth have, on one
experiment, IncrpaseG the yield nearly |
100 bushels per acre.
Use either the high Craze mixture,
like a 10-4 or 10 5, applied IN the row,
or NIX acid phosphate and cottonseed
meal and apply in rows (well mixed
with SOLD or nitrate of soda, 100 pounds
per acre, as top dresser as soon as
plants are up.
SMALL POTATOES.
Shall we plant little potatoes? A
small potato from hill that made sew
eral good sized ones and only one or
two small ones, Is as good as the big
ones from the same hill. But the
small one from hill where all were
small is not good to plant.
If we plaLt small ones year after
year we will get more and more from
the undesirable hill-all small and our
potatoes Will run out"
This year of high prices we should
and will plant the small potatoes pick
ed from our salable potatoes last year
but we should not do this year after
year.
POTATO CULTIVATION.
This year the high price of seed po-
tatoes makes it especially desirable ,
that all other factors be as good as we /,
can make them.
Under these conditions we should .