418 THE POTATO 



The land sells for $100 to $500 an acre when of- 

 fered, but there is practically none for sale. The 

 entire valley was originally taken up by Mexican 

 land grants and some of these have not yet been 

 subdivided. 



The seed stock is stored in straw-covered ricks, 

 and sprouted once or twice before planting. 



The land is plowed twice with a three-gang disk 

 plow, ten inches deep; harrowed twice, cultivated 

 twice, and hoed twice. The crop is dug by hand, 

 Japanese labor being used. They do the hand 

 labor for 30 per cent, of the crop. 



Growers estimate that it costs $25 an acre to 

 produce the crop. Seed cut to two to four ounces 

 is used. 



The crop of the valley is about 25,000 sacks. 

 The yield is thirty-five to seventy sacks, of 100 

 to 110 pounds each, to the acre. 



STOCKTON 



The Stockton district is now one of the biggest 

 potato-producing sections in the world, area con- 

 sidered. 



The crops are grown in the lowlands in and along 

 the San Joaquin River, in a rich alluvial soil, some 

 of it containing a large percentage of decayed vege- 

 table matter. 



The " tule " lands on the islands in the San Joa- 

 quin river are made up of the decayed vegeta- 

 tion of many years, and being subject to overflow, 

 this has had some silt incorporated with it. In re- 

 claiming these lands they are surrounded by big 

 levees. Deep drains are cut through the land, 

 with shallower drains emptying into them. These 

 smaller drains are about 40 feet apart. During 



