Y egetables. 



POTATO CULTURE. 



B. T. WILCOX, HASTIx\GS. 



In the cultivation of the potato in a location accessible to rail- 

 roads, we have the assurance of a profitable cash market with the 

 same or greater certainty as the g^ra in grower or dairjaiian have for 

 their products, for the hig-her quality or best varieties well g-rown 

 in our climate — and none but the best varieties should be grown at 

 all— insure them ready sale in competition with poor Southern 

 g^rown stock. Low freight rates enable us to lay them down in 

 manj^ consumption markets cheaper than the}' can be produced by 

 local or near-by growers. 



In methods of culture, ever}- grower usually has a waj- which he 

 considers best; so it will only be necessary to suggest a few details 

 which have an influence on results, just in proportion to the favor- 

 able or adverse climatic conditions which the season may develop. 

 Soil and methods that would have succeeded in producing a profit 

 able crop in 1892 were entirely inadequate to resist the drought of 

 1893, and, conseqvientl}-, in our locality, the last season's crop was 

 not more than twentj' per cent, or twenty-five per cent, of the pre- 

 ceding one, and many acres where cultivation had been neglected 

 were not worth digging. Four-fifths of our soil is too light, drj- and 

 sandy for potato growing, and we have found it profitable to paj- as 

 high as five dollars to ten dollars per acre for the use of the best 

 rather than use our own for that purpose. 



With the best naturall}' heavy, strong, moist soil, well drained 

 and plowed deep, we should employ clean thorough culture, and 

 use the best seed and varieties. While machinerj^ for cutting, 

 planting and digging ma}^ be profitable on a large scale, I have 

 never used it in growing ten acres or less, and don't think I will at 

 present. 



Prior to 1893, we had always planted in drills, three feet apart, 

 placing the seed one foot apart in the row, or 14,520 pieces per acre, 

 which will recjuire over fifteen bushels of seed, if the pieces average 

 one ounce apiece. But I am fully satisfied this is not the best waj', 

 and shall hereafter use fifteen or twent}- bushels of seed cut into lar- 

 ger pieces and planted thirt}- inches apart each way, or G,97() hills 

 prr acre. 



With four acres of the White Star planted in this way, five inches 

 deep in the furrow, harrowed twice after planting, before thej^ came 

 up, andcross-cultivated three times each way, we secured a much lar- 

 ger crop at a less expense than was produced in the balance of this 

 field, where thej^ were planted in drills, cultivated and hoed in the 

 old way. Besides, this field is absolutely clean at the present time, 

 while it was so covered with weeds when I rented it last spring that 

 we could not plow it until they had been broken down and burned off. 



