WAUPACA POST

1891

 

Potato Growing

(From the Prairie Farmer)

 

            The first requisite to secure a good yield of potatoes is to select a well-drained, a clay loam that has at least produced one good crop of clover and some time in November or December this ground should be plowed to a depth of about ten inches. When plowed so late as this there is no danger of the soil becoming too hard, but the freezing of the soil during the winter will kill out the clover and pulverize the soil very nicely, so that it will be an easy matter to prepare the soil for early planting by the use of a disc harrow.  But before the time of planting the ground should have a good coat of well-rotted manure, evenly spread and thoroughly harrowed in.  For early varieties of potatoes the planting should usually be done in latitude 40 about the middle of April, if the ground is dry enough to crumble up nicely.  When this time has come the plot should be “furrowed out” with a good single shovel plow, which makes a better furrow by running twice in the same furrow, than can be made with any other plow.  The shovel of the plow should not be over eight inches wide, but should be run to the depth of about ten inches, and the soil will roll back into the furrow when run the second time, so that there will be about four inches depth to the furrow.  The potatoes or pieces may then be dropped about ten inches apart in the row, while the rows should be about three feet apart for the earlier varieties.  When this is done, if the dropping is done by hand, the potatoes may be lightly covered by running a small wheel of about four inch width of rim in the row, which will pack the cut potatoes nicely in the furrow.  When this is done the furrow should be partly filled with some good compost, had in readiness, and this followed with a light cover of soil, which will leave it in a nice condition for the harrow five or six days later, if the soil is sufficiently dry to crumble well; but never when too wet to crumble.  The first harrowing should be parallel with the rows, the second should be across the rows.   The second harrowing may be done about four or five days later than the first, owing to the condition of the ground.  About five days alter a good cultivator should be run close to the rows, on each side to loosen the ground thoroughly, and about a week later the cultivator may again be run but one between the rows; after that a narrow, one-horse, spring-tooth harrow should be run once in each row.  If the potatoes at this time are beginning to form blossom buds, they should be let alone except to pull the weeds by hand in the row. The potatoes for planting should be of well-matured stock, kept from sprouting or from partly freezing before planting.  The potatoes should be cut length-wise, not less than two or three good                      (incomplete article)