Putnam patriot., 1930-11-06
TIM ELY FAR M TOPICS
 by the County Agricultural Agent
Produce Po,.tos. Pro6,.bly

Produce Potatoes rrobtsbty
 That potatoes can be purchased rrofitably has been proven by mem- hers of the 300 Bushel Potato Club. There were fifteen men who had their potatoes measured this year ont of which nine produced 300 bushels or more. per acre. Mir. Adel- ard Leframboise of Brooklyn had the Highest yield with 357.7 bushels per acre. while William C. Child of Woodstock. was second with yield of 355.6 bushels per acrv. These two men followed the four point pro gram fairly closely, distance between rows and hills being the main devia- tion from the program
 The first point of the Produce Potatoes Profitably Program was .sUse Certified Seed" The men who used certified seed averaged to pro- duce 32.7 bushels per acre more than those who used uncertified seed.
 The second point was Use 2,000 pounds of 5-10-5 fertilizer, or it's equivalent. per acre" The figures on this years yield show that those who used over 1 ton of fertilizer averaged 310.2 bushels per acre those who used l ton of fertilizer averaged 293.9 bushels per acre and those who used less than 1 ton aver aged 242.2 bushels per acre. You will note that there is a large in- crease between those who used less than 1 ton and those who used l ton of fertilizer, the difference being b1.7 bushels. Those who used over A.. of fa~tiIt1ar cnl., rwod..crI | C 2 bushels per acre more than those who used ton.
 The third point in the program was to Plant II" apart in rows, and the rows 36 apart, flor Green Mountains", also Planting between May 5 and 25th''. Those who plant ed their potatoes in rows from 36' to 3S" apart had yield of thirty seven bushels higher than those who planted 38' apart. Those who plant ed their hills II" to l3" apart had a yield of fourteen bushels more than those who planted from 14" to rs" apart, and the latter had yield of 66.5 bushels per acre higher than those who planted from IT" to 20'I apart.
 These figures bring out the im- portance of planting the potatoes at the proper distances. The date of planting seems to have a large in- fuence on the yield, those planting before May Is receiving 40.s bushels more per acre than those who plant ed after May l5.
 The fourth point in the program is 'sTo Spray with a 5-5-50 Bordeaux aff Nlanfa are 6" high, using nozzles per row with a pressure of 200 pounds or over. Our figures bring out very materially that good spraying pays the potato raiser well. The man who followed good spraying practices had a yield of 78.S bushels per acre more than those who did no spraying at all or sprayed only for bugs. There were several men who sprayed with one nozzle per row and low pressure which did yield some results, being 34.3 bushels higher than those who did no spraying, and 44.5 bushels lower than those who did real job of spraying.
 These figures seem to prove very conclusively that the potato grower who follows the Produce Potatoes Program would have very much higher yield at very little increased cost which would mean lower cost per bushel and that he could meet outside competitors in year of low prices and still make a reasonable profit. Farmers should realize that their products are being produced for a competitive market and the man who can produce at the lowest cost per unit is the man who can stand up against outside competition. This last statement holds true in any field, whether it be dairying, poultry, potatoes, or other farm products.
 If you wish any further informa- ton on producing potatoes profitably you should get in touch with your County Agricultural Agent.