AUGUST 1, 1912 



While the book describes (sometimes minutely) 

 the particulars for potato-growing in the great po- 

 tato regions of the earth, it does not go into details 

 as Terry does in our own A B of Potato Culture. 

 I am pleased to note, however, that its teac.iings 

 are in the main in perfect harmony with those of 

 T. B. Terry and your humble servant. It is pleasant 

 to note that over in Scotland there are potato-fields 

 of 300 acres, where great crops of potatoes are pro- 

 duced, year after year, without any break or letup; 

 and they have reduced it to such a science that the 

 crop is not only sold on the ground, but in the 

 ground, year after year. The great British commis- 

 sion men in London and other large cities send an 

 agent to purchase the notatoes in the ground. Then 

 they send their own men to do the digging or to 

 superintend the digging, and ship the potatoes just 

 as fast as the market calls for them, and no faster; 

 and the potatoes frequently sell for as much as $175 

 per acre, right in the ground. 



The way in which they manage to keep up the 

 fertility is by sowing rye grass just as soon as the 

 potatoes are off the ground. As soon as the rye 

 grass is big enough, sheep are turned on, which con- 

 sume the grass, and they fatten on it, but nothing 

 e]s» The fat sheep are then sold in the great city 

 markets as fast as they are wanted, and then in 

 addition to the sheep manure left on the ground 

 they put on great quantities of seaweed and stable 

 manure, which is plowed under when the ground 

 begins to freeze. A ton or more per acre of fertil- 

 izers is also used. The rye grass makes a tremen- 

 dous growth in consequence of the heavy fertilizers 

 not being all consumed by the potatoes. You see the 

 rank rye grass grabs and holds the fertilizers left, 

 and furnish humus for the potato growing. Well, 

 for this kind of work, whole potatoes of pretty fair 

 size are planted. The potatoes for seed are dug be- 

 fore they are fully ripe or where the vines have been 

 killed by frost. Such seed is equivalent to "second- 

 crop" seed potatoes used largely in our own coun- 

 try. The use of whole potatoes for seed is, of 

 course, a departure from Terry's one-eye seed pota- 

 toes. IBut Terry grew only mature potatoes for table 

 use. By having only one eye in a place his potatoes 

 are mostly all of table size, and also bring an extra 

 pric( in the market. I have been for many years 

 aware that, where extra-early potatoes are wanted, 

 whole potatoes are considerably ahead, both here 

 and in Florida. In fact, to get early potatoes before 

 anybody else, we plant great big ones in order that 

 the big potato may not only give the new plant a 

 good sendoff, but it may back it up by its big parent 

 furnishing one of the very best fertilizers from start 

 to finish. Of course, this way of seeding costs, and 

 unless we can get a big price for our extra-early 

 potatoes it will not pay. 



POTATOES 380 BU.SHELS PER ACEB._ 



We take the following from a statement made by 

 E. H. Grubb: 



"We should easily double or triple our potato pro- 

 duction without any increase in acreage. Just con- 

 sider these figures : In Germany the average pro- 

 duction is about 200 bushels of potatoes per acre. 

 In the United States the average production is 86 

 bushels per acre. With intensive scientific methods 

 of culture on my Carbondale farm I never produce 

 less than 380 bushels per acre, and without the use 

 of commercial fertilizers. This all goes to show you 

 what American soil will do when given a chance." 



The above statement in regard to the average pro- 

 duction in the United States is certainly humiliat- 

 ing; and I think something like it might be said of 

 the corn crop. Those who have read our A B C of 

 Potato Culture will remember that I myself secured 

 a yield of 375 bushels per acre, and that, too, with- 

 out a cent's worth of commercial fertilizer. I did 

 it by the use of barnyard manure applied to clover, 

 and then by plowing under the biggest crop of clo- 

 ver I could produce, just before planting potatoes. 



Our space will not permit me to tell you of the 

 many good things I should like to mention in this 

 large $2.00 potato book. If you are growing pota- 

 toes by the acre, or contemplate doing so, it will 

 pay you to have the book, even if you already have 

 our recent new edition of the A B C of Potato Cul- 

 ture. 



It is pleasant to know that our Department of 

 Agriculture has sufficiently recognized the value of 

 potatoes as food to send a man all over the world 

 to collect valuable information in regard to the 

 production of this great food staple. 



19 



Kind Words from Our Customers. 



I take occasion herewith to tender Mr. A. I. Root 

 my kind respects. I have often felt inclined to write 

 him a private letter, but I shall not encroach upon 

 his valuable time. I only wished to give expression 

 to my feelings of sympathy with one who, through 

 his most interesting Home talks, is bringing light 

 into many a home, even in far South Africa. 



D. S. VAN Waemelo. 



Harmony, Pretoria, So. Af., May 23. 



WHEN GLEANINGS WAS PRINTED BY THE "WIND- 

 MILL." 



I am one of the original Gleanings subscribers, 

 when the windmill was the motive power. I was 

 then a resident of Henry Co., 111. I have no bees 

 at present, but am in the real-estate business; and 

 member of the city council here. I expect to be 

 one of the Gleanings family as long as I live. I 

 have always thought highly of A. I. Root and fam- 

 ily- 

 Ontario, Cal., April 22. J. V. Caldwell. 



a kind woed peom one of the veteeans on the 

 gleanings list. 



Bro. A. I. Boot: — I took Gleanings away back 

 when it was very small but always good. If you 

 remember I had a German carp-pond stocked with 

 the first distribution by the Governor, I raise bees, 

 carp and chickens. At one time, away back in the 

 70's and 80's, you were a young man, and so was I, 

 I am now past" 76. I keep bees yet, but not many. 

 I like to read Gleanings. 



Glenwood, Ind. William S. Kalee. 



DR. millee's eecent indisposition and what 



HE HAS to say about IT. 



Dear Eriiefit : — I have always been a believer in 

 divine Providence. Of late my belief has grown 

 stronger and stronger in special providences. I 

 don't believe God takes care of us in job lots, but 

 looks out for each one of us as if each one were the 

 onlv one in the universe. That doesn't make me 

 feel any more mv own importance, but it does make 

 me feel that God is a wonderfully big God that he 

 can give such minute care to so many, many little 

 specks of his creation. 



.Just now there's a special providence in this Straw 

 business. Never before did I read a number of 

 Gleanings without feeling that there were a num- 

 ber of Straws that just must be wi-itten — this time 

 barelv one. 



Oh ! but it's good to be alive, and to dare to take 

 in a full breath without being in terror lest a cough 

 sliould rip me in two. I want to thank you for 

 vour kind letters, which have done me good. 



C. C. Miller. 



peom 7 TO 18, and $85.00 worth op honey in 

 one yeae. 



Mr. A. I. Boot: — For years I have taken note of 

 you and your enterprises ; and because of my confi- 

 dence in your company's honesty I have bought 

 what I needed in your line of you. I began with 

 three weak colonies of bees last spring (1911) ; later 

 in the season I took four others from caves. I prac- 

 ticed all known methods, and some not known, to 

 keep down increase. I sold $85.00 worth of honey, 

 and came out with 18 rousing colonies this spring. 

 I have done this while giving ten hours a day of my 

 time to a railroad company. I consider that good; 

 but I have not time to tell you how I did it. 



You said one thing in a recent issue of Glean- 

 ings that I must commend. In substance it was 

 that you were almost persuaded to become a real 

 prohibitionist. What more can we do for any cause 

 than to testify by act and word that we believe in 

 it ? By our vote we give a testimony that reaches 

 the uttermost parts of the earth. Of the two lead- 

 ing parties, the average unbiased man can only toss 

 heads or tails to decide which to take. Friend A. I. 

 R., let's shout "God save the king" with our vote, 

 and none will say we are "hired boosters." 



M. Clymer. 



Lewis Springs, Ariz., June 8, 1912. 



[Friend C, if voting for men who fear God but 

 do not fear the liquor-traific makes me a prohibi- 

 tionist, then I am "it."] 



