American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-04-12

Dtll iHf--lt Joe
commenced n.. .es In,
after first seatt uantity
of vegetable grove ..4.4ercial fer
tilizer In the bottom of the rows. Then
the sacks Of leaves were taken and
the seed potato pieces covered three or
four inches deep. One Of the horses
as ui,ched to a drag made Of a square
e. e Of timber eight feet long, and
inch was hitched by a single tree to
the horse. Joe stood on the timber
and drove the horse at right angles to
the rows. 1t covered the potatoes per-
fectly and packed the dirt on them
anu at the same time smoothed the
surface Of the field.
Link looked on and finally scratched
his head relectively as he remarked:
dat looks ter me like er funny way
ter plant Eaters. l alters seen EN-
planted in hills"
Most folks do that for W. reasons
one to keep the water from standing
on the seed and rotting them, and the
other is to have plenty Of loose dirt to
keep the seed moist and for the young
potatoes to develop IN"
We'll, whut's de reason o. disT'
Ever notice an Irish potato plant
with a root and young potatoes on it?'
"Nossuh."
well. l pulled N up and studied
It. The young potatoes are formed
above the roots which grow from the
bottom of the main stem. | put those
leaves in there above the part that viii
be the DOT to give a loose place for
the young potatoes to develop. And it
viii make the potatoes cleaner and
larger
"Uh huh, l sorter sees"
And If I had planted in high hills l
would have had to cultivate with hoes,
wouldn't L? There's no plow that
would do any good, is there, on hills
most a foot highT'
Link shook his head.
80, this way, for the first two work
ings III use a horse and %cultivator and
get It done in short order. The last
working, when the potatoes are form
ing, III run a plow through and throw
the dirt on either side right against the
potato plants. That will make a hill
and give plenty Of room for the young
potatoes to grow in, won't it?"
"Yeah-an' hit won't be baked by
de sun an hard. Hitn be loose at dc
very time when it's needed loose!" ex-
claimed the darky.
That's what l thought. l never
heard Of anybody else planting pota-
toes this way. but It looks like reason
and common sense to me. Don't you
think so2 There's no reason to put
hills here at first, because the land is
well drained and deep plowed. Water
won't stand on It,"
Seems sensibul to me- agreed Link.
Mister Joe. what made 20 think O.
dat way to plant pertatersY'
Wanted to do the work at less cost
and make a profit"
Mister Joe. just persizely whut Is
er 'prohtY l ain never got dat right
in mer min yit. l knows bout Bible
prophets, but what's dis kin yo' is
alters talkin' erboutg'
The less it costs you to make d crop
Of corn or potatoes the more you make
" ANh AO0 sell UtNiuoE NOU AOll L nave
to deduct from the price you get the
Increased cost Of making the crop. It's
the difference between what it costs
YOU to make a crop and what your stuff
brings"
But dis we're later crop amt costin'
20 nothin' 'cept de seed, s. with O.
fertilizer an de time wuckin' hit"
That's it. Time can be turned into
money. The less time it takes to make
these potatoes the more time l will
have to put on something else to make
money ON. Seer"
Il does" said Link proudly. Il
wants ter learn dese things, kase Use
gwine be er farmer like 20 is gwine
ter be, sho as yo' bawn."
That night Joe got down the nicely
bound blank book he had purchased
for a quarter in own and prepared to
open his account of operations for the
year. The rules Of the Corn club CON
test required that every move he made,
with dates and Items Of expense be
noted as made.
Before going to work on his book
hO AOiu dOOul nUW Lluh udu uudAl1
got the Idea that time was money.
MI. Weston laughed.
That reminds me Of another story
they tell on Hen Tucker. He was in
town n day. and a Teller was on the
street sellin' a new kind OF incubator.
Hen stood right In front OF the crowd,
mouth open, takin' 1t all in. The man
explained that the incubator would dc
the work and the settln' hens could
be put back to work layin'.
"'Ain't it a wonder, friend? Don't
you think it's fine? Amt 1t a time
saver?' preached the agent. Tucker
thought it was up to him to say some
thing, so he kind o gasped, his mouth
workin' like that OF a perch out O. wa.
ter.
law, shucks,' seize, tryin' to show
the crowd how smart he was, what:
the use O. that ~contraption? What
time to a settin' hen, anyhow