THE POTATO 391 



our run-out stock at 70 cents per 100 pounds and 

 bought some of this seed at $2.80 per 100; and can 

 say that it was the best investment we ever made 

 in the potato hne. The crops raised from this seed 

 were superior in quaUty and yield; still the yield 

 was far from what was claimed for them in Scot- 

 land. In the fall of 1909 we had one patch which 

 yielded 430 bushels per acre. This crop was raised 

 on sagebrush land, which had been cropped twice, 

 but had had a light manuring. 



"By this time we were curious to see what we 

 could do on alfalfa land. So in the fall of 1909 we 

 'crowned' four acres of alfalfa as shallow as possi- 

 ble, plowing with sharp plows to cut alfalfa crowns. 

 This alfalfa was planted in the spring of 1906. 

 The first two years (including the summer of 1906) 

 it was cut for hay, the next year it was pastured by 

 hogs, about ten head per acre, and the next year 

 it was again cut for hay. We had intended to 

 harrow the crowns to the surface, but we had a 

 wet spell and a freeze immediately after and as a 

 consequence all the crowns were alive next spring. 



"Wten the Burley prize was offered last spring 

 (1910) we decided to enter this contest. We en- 

 tered for several reasons. In the first place there 

 was nothing to lose; there was a great opportunity 

 to learn by comparing our methods with those of 

 the winner; and, again, there was a chance to win. 

 In trying to decide how to proceed in order to get 

 the best results, a great many questions confronted 

 us, as for instance: How much manure can we 

 apply without getting scab.^ How close can we 

 plant without sacrificing the size of the potato and 

 the yield .'^ What size seed will give the best re- 

 sults.^ How is it possible to get a perfect stand.? 

 Realizing that the practical educational value of 



