Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1922-04-20
OF INTEREST TO
! POTATO GROWERS
No. 8.
< (By ]. E. SMITH, Meadow
Brook Farm.


toll two days IL to 16 hours
per day to produce what he is
compelled to exchange for the
product of one eight hour day,
and while farmers are talking,
about the economics of farm
ing, the factor of increased
yields per acre, based funda-
mentally upon the use of bet
ter Seed Stock, and perfect
preparation of the soil is i'm
portant, because the increase
in yield represents the differ
ence between profit and loss.
Potato growers in Aroostock
County, Me, used to figure that
when they had produced 60
barrels or about 180 bushels
per acre, they had reached the
limit, and there was no use let
ting ambition attempt anything
further. But since that time,
with the advent of high grade
"free from disease" seed, they
have produced $50 bushels
per acre and are still striving
to produce higher yields by the
lavish incorporation of plant
food into their already fertile
soil and use of the very high
est grade seed obtainable.
But there are other districts
that have just as good a chance
as Aroostook County, Me. An
alysis of the various types Of
soil here in Essex County, VT,
would indicate that there
is no reason why we cannot.
with the same high quality of
seed, soil, preparation, culture,
ETC., produce as large a yield
of high grade potatoes per
arce, as any northern county,
in any northern state, on non
irrigated land.
The secret of Aroostook Cos
big yields lies in quality of
seed, and quantity of high
grade fertilizer used.
In various tests in other
states during the past three
years, certified or inspected
seed potatoes have given an
average increase of 58.1 bush
els per acre, over the average
farm seed planted alongside
which proves conclusively that
there is as much difference be-
tween the quality of certified
or disease free potato seed as
there is in the quality of pure
bred live stock as compared
with scrubs.
Farmers are acquainted with
certified milk and certified
small grain, but selected seed
stock or certified or selected
potato seed stock is a compare
lively new thing to a great ma
ny of us. Potato certification
means that the potatoes have
been grown for seed--that they
are true to variety, and that
they have been "rogued" for
disease the stock comes from
potatoes of high yielding abil-
ity, subjected to rigid intervals
during the growing season and
of the potatoes when dug,
which must come up to the ap-
proved standard.
Hence if your soil is right, y
seed that is certified or known
to be free from disease is your
best crop insurance. The best
seed potatoes are grown in ra-
ther cool climates where the
growing season is short and
comparative tests show that
our northern grown seed will,
as a rule, produce more pota-
toes per acre than seed grown
farther south.
In tests made at the Connect
icut Experimental Station, the
yield from northern grown seed
was 253 bushels per acre, while
the yield from seed that had
been chill selected" for six
years was 74.9 bushels pei
acre.
No matter what seed pota.
toes you plant, don't fail tc
treat them with the formalir
solution for scab prevention be-
fore cutting them up. If pota
toes are cut up before treated
the starch from cut surface