Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-04-10
DELAWARE COUNTY farm BUREAU;
County Agents OniceJ
County Agents Onice.)

| see something or interest IN the pa
pers, and before you note 1t the pape,
is destroyed and you have lost some
information which you will later need
A handy scrap book has been used
| by some people, consisting Of monthly
magazine, with every-other leaf re-
moved, and the notes or articles are
attached to the remaining leaves
These may either be by months or
subject matter, for instance, poultry
cattle, hogs, etc. In this way a few
articles may be preserved and will not
take up a great deal Of room. We
trust the readers of the county papers
will start a scrap book of informa-
ton that may be of interest to them.
The county agents office is exceeding
ly busy at times and some Inquiries
are duplicated many times so that in
formation which is sent out in papers
should be preserved for future refer
ence from time to time. It is the in
tention Of this office to publish mater
ial that is valuable from the various
standpoints of farm work.
Potatoes
Potatoes are the cheapest food that
we can raise. Plant plenty of them
for the seed is cheap and II the sea-
son is average, one can expect fair
income in money and we have reports
from crops as high as $50 to 300 bush
els per acre.
In these war times when starch is
SO scarce the potatoes can be substi-
tuted in a good many ways and the
potatoes form most useful diet In the
home. We are informed that one or
two starch factories are to be built In
the United States to utilize potatoes.
Apparently the starch Of the potato Is
as satisfactory as substitute, as any
other sort OF -four. The following
suggestions are offered in regard to
planting the crop this year:
Select the potato seed carefully. II
they are infected with the potato scab
they should be treated in the following
manner:
Use one pint of Formalin to thirty
gallons of water immense the whole
potatoes for at least two hours. Re-
move them from the solution and dry.
When they are thoroughly dry they
may be cut up and seeded
On the lighter or sandy soils OF the
county It would be we'll to try mulch
ing the potatoes II the season turns
OF dry. A coating Of straw three to
four inches deep will keep the soil
cool and preserve the moisture. Plant
only early varieties as they will ma
ture before the hottest part Of the sea-
son occurs. On the heavier types OF
soil the early or late potatoes do well.
In case the potato blight, which is rec
ognized by the stems dying off, has
been present, there is danger Of in
lection in the soil If the disease
should appear this year we can con-
troll 1t to certain extent by spraying
with the following mixture:
pounds of quick lime. pounds OF
copper sulphate. Dissolve in 30 gal
Ions of water. Make the first applica-
ton when the potatoes are four to six
inches high and continue applying the
solution at intervals of about every
two weeks. This spray has been found
very efficient in controlling potato
blight and has saved crop in many
instances. A small bucket spray can
be purchased at a nominal price and
has proved satisfactory for the home
garden. For larger area the barrel
spray mounted on wheels would be
more efficient. Do not neglect the po-
tato crop as a dollar or two spent In
control measures might mean the saw
ing OF the entire crop.
Labor.
Apparently the labor situation is
we'll in hand In this county. Very few
inquiries are coming to the office OF
the county agent at present. The
spring has been dry and the conditions
very favorable for accomplishing work
really ahead of time. This may ac-
count for the poor demand for labor
at the present.
This office has few parties listed
who would like work on farms, includ-
ing married and single men. II you
or your neighbors need labor get IN
touch with the county agents office.
The proper use and appreciation OF
farm machinery will add to solving the
labor in many cases. One man can
handle five horses as we'll as he can
handle one. Add section to the har-
row and it will save hours of work In
the field. A double gang pillow will in
crease the amount of work materially
accomplished by one man.
Study your conditions on the farm
and determine whether you can IN
crease your efficiency by better mobi-
lization of farm machinery and general
equipment on the farm. A little head
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