462 ANNUAL RKrORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



acre, and if two pounds to the hill it gives 528 bushels; but planted 

 three feet each way gives something like 4840 hills and a pound 

 per hill you would have 8U 2-3 bushels to the acre. You can regulate 

 the size of the i)otatoes or run of the potatoes quite well. Of course, 

 you don't know what the season is going to be. That makes a dif- 

 ference. Hut if the potatoes average too large, plant larger seed 

 pieces to the hill or hills closer; but if potatoes do not grow large 

 enough plant farther apart in the hills and less seed, less eyes. 



After the potatoes are planted we run over the Held with the 

 double row riding cultivator. We like to go over the field three times 

 before the potatoes are up, and, gentlemen, this cultivation, these 

 first three cultivations, are done before the potatoes are up by follow- 

 ing the potato row ridges left by the planter. We don't try to get 

 close to the lid^jQg but to break up the middles. The roller has gone 

 over the git)imdf and in planting this row the horse walks here (in- 

 dicating). On the return the other horse walks in there again. We 

 do want to cut deep at this time of the potato's growth because 

 no potato roots will be torn off. I would not cultivate deep after 

 the potatoes were up 4 to 6 inches high. If you follow out the roots 

 you will find them extending out beyond the middles and more and 

 when we break off the roots we are interfering with the potato root 

 system. I would not go too deep the first time over, a little deeper 

 the second time and still deeper the third time. Just as soon as 

 the potatoes come up so we can see the potato rows w^e adjust the 

 culivator and run just as close to the row as we can. With the double 

 row cultivator we take every other row or the odd rows the first time 

 over and here we have the team in here and we get astride the first 

 and third rows and the second time over we go astride the even 

 rows, second, fourth and sixth rows, and so on through the whole 

 field. This makes five cultivations, three before the potatoes are up 

 and two after. Then we put the weeder on, and we like to go straight 

 across the potato row^s with the weeder the first time. The second 

 time over we go lengthwise. This pulls the plants straight with the 

 row and closer attention can be given after under work. This weeder 

 work we like to do after nine o'clock in the morning, when the atmos- 

 phere warms up and it is dry and hot. The potato plant will stand 

 more abuse after it is warmed up than it will when cool in the early 

 morning. It will break off easier when cool. The rest of the cultiva- 

 tion is done with riding cultivator by gradually widening apart the 

 teeth nearest the rows. The cultivation ceases the latter part of 

 July. Ordinarily the field receives about twelve cultivations. You 

 say that is excessive. I know it is a lot of cultivation, but at the 

 same time while cultivating we are preparing the land for the fol- 

 lowing wheat crop. The crop gets two hand weedings, about the 

 middle of July and middle of August. 



For spraying, we use the 5-5-50 formula. 



