32 New Hampshire Experiment Station [Bulletin 239 



both labor required and yield per acre. Several men located in 

 southern Coos, in Grafton and in Rocking-ham Counties are pro- 

 ducing potatoes on a man labor requirement of less than 95 hours, 

 and obtaining a yield of 300 bushels or more. Machinery, 18 to 20 

 bushels of good seed, plenty of plant food represented by 1,800 to 

 2,500 pounds of fertilizer, and excellent cultural practices are neces- 

 sary to accomplish this result. 



The economical control of blight depends on size of area. On 

 farms where satisfactory control measures were practiced yields were 

 enough larger to more than pay spraying or dusting costs. On the 

 smaller areas of two and three acres, the time saved by using dust, 

 the better control made possible by the ease with which the opera- 

 tion is performed, and the less interference with other farm opera- 

 tions, particularly haying, all tended to make dusting a more prac- 

 ticable method of control than the liquid spray. 



From the standpoint of economy of labor and materials in rais- 

 ing potatoes and the utilization of available labor from other en- 

 terprises, which might otherwise be wasted, it seems wise to raise 

 at least 6 to 10 acres of potatoes. In such circumstances it is pos- 

 sible to make efficient use of labor, to use machinery to good advan- 

 tage, and to produce a crop in sufficient quantity and of such satis- 

 factory quality as to satisfy consumer demand. 



A summary from the survey of labor charges indicates that an 

 acre of potatoes requires about 130 hours of man labor. With 

 proper machinery this can be reduced to approximately 100 hours. 

 When this latter amount of labor is all that is required, and yields 

 of 200 bushels or more are obtained, costs will average about 80 

 cents and it will be found profitable to raise potatoes for our local 

 markets. 



In the preceding pages cost of producing potatoes has been 

 discussed in terms of labor requirements and money costs per acre 

 and per bushel. These results do not necessarily determine the 

 best procedure with potatoes, but can be used to best advantage 

 when applied as a basis for estimating the most profitable farm 

 org-anization. 



On many if not all farms the problem is whether or not grow- 

 ing potatoes will add to the annual net income. This can be roughly 

 arrived at by estimating the additional income and the additional 

 cash expense when potatoes are grown. Will the contemplated 

 potato enterprise add more than enough to the general farm income 

 to pay for the extra materials and extra hired labor? 



Potatoes are grown as the main or only enterprise on but few 

 farms. They are most commonly grown on the farm in combina- 

 tion with or supplementary to the dairy enterprise. The areas as 

 shown in the survey are not large, indicating that this crop is raised 

 primarily to supplement the main farm business and largely with 

 labor available on the farm. 



This method of raising potatoes seems the most logical one for 

 New Hampshire growers, even though there are localities where a 

 sufficient area may be available to make specialization on potatoes 

 profitable. The usual practice makes possible the use of man and 



