24 



Maine Agricultural Experiment Station. 1919. 



In the years 1907, 1908 and 1909 field experiments com- 

 paring the shallow planting and high ridge cultivation common 

 in Aroostook County with a deeper planting and a low broad 

 ridge were carried out at Houlton. The three seasons had an 

 abundant water supply. Indeed in 1909 there was more rain- 

 fall than the crop needed. Because of the long continued cold 

 wet weather and early frost the yield was reduced materially. 

 The results as given in the following table show no practical 

 advantage of one method over the other so far as yield is con- 

 cerned. 



Table Shoiving Comparison of Medium Planted, Broad Low 



Ridge with Shallow Planted High Ridge in Aroostook 



County. Total Area in Experiments 15 Acres 



Method of Culture 



Year 



Variety 



Yield of 

 merchant- 

 able 

 potatoes 

 per acre 





1907 

 1908 

 1909 



1907 

 1908 

 1909 





Bush. 



333 





Green Mountain __ 



301 





216 







283 







325 







291 







204 







273 









EXPERIMENTS IN KENNEBEC COUNTY 



The successful growing of potatoes in Aroostook County 

 has greatly stimulated the potato industry over the whole 

 State. The great advance in value of land in Arosotook County 

 has led farmers to sell and go to other parts of the State where 

 land has less value. Both of these facts have led to the adop- 

 tion of Aroostook County methods of potato growing all over 

 the State. It seemed probable that the less rainfall and not 

 infrequent drouths experienced in the more southern parts of 

 the State might prove unfavorable to growing potatoes with 

 the shallow planting high ridge method of cultivation. With 

 the purchase of Highmoor Farm for the Station an experiment 



