THE POTATO 455 



IN FORFARSHIRE, SCOTLAND 



Thomas Buttar, Corston, Coupar Angus, Scot- 

 land, is a very successful breeder of Shropshire 

 sheep and Shorthorn cattle. 



Mr. Buttar grows forty acres of potatoes for 

 seed annually for the southern England trade and 

 sells to seed dealers. He fertilizes heavily and 

 grows 370 bushels of seed stock and 110 bushels 

 of large potatoes and waste per acre. He plants 

 large sized seed whole. This gives more tubers 

 per hill and per acre and they are smaller and 

 more uniform in size. It is another corrobora- 

 tion of Mt. Sopris Farm methods and results 

 of planting perfect large tubers for growing seed 

 stocks. 



Corston is a large seed-growing section. I met 

 six other large and successful growers. Every 

 one feeds livestock. They grow a very large ton- 

 nage of yellow Aberdeen turnips and Swedes, 

 which they feed with oil cake. Each and every 

 one declares they could not farm profitably with- 

 out grazing, cake feeding for making muck, and 

 the use of artificial manures. Their main re- 

 liance is cake made manures and crop rotation, 

 potatoes one year in three, sometimes two years in 

 seven, two years in grass for hay or pasture, 

 usually hay first year and pasture second, then 

 fall plowing after a coat of ten or twelve tons of 

 well-rotted muck or manure has been applied. 

 They have no disease, require no spraying with 

 this system, and it keeps the soil healthy and free 

 from injurious germs. The soil is in splendid 

 physical condition, notwithstanding the fact that 

 there is both drought and excessive rains. It is in 

 such condition that it holds sufficient moisture for 



