12 The Potato 



In a farm management survey of Chester County, 

 Pennsylvania, by Spillman ^ it was found that the propor- 

 tion of income from potatoes on 378 farms in that county 

 was 8.9 per cent. On these farms, 6 per cent of the 

 crop area was devoted to potatoes. "They were found 

 on 366 of the 378 farms operated by owners. This crop 

 is, therefore, very general in this region, though the acre- 

 age of potatoes is usually small. On only seven farms was 

 the percentage of potato acreage found to exceed 20 (or 12 

 acres)." The farmers of this region grow at least enough 

 for home use and usually some for sale. 



The yields to the acre are dependent upon many fac- 

 tors, the most important of which seem to be climate 

 and soil moisture. Yields to the acre in the United 

 States are low as compared with England or Germany. 

 The average yields of potatoes to the acre for the years 

 1901-1910 inclusive in the United States, Germany and 

 Great Britain were 92.7, 200.8 and 200 respectively. 

 European countries often grow the large, coarse, heavy- 

 yielding sorts for stock-feeding or for use in the arts, which 

 accounts for some of the difference in average yields. 



In the United States, the average yield to the acre is 

 higher in Maine than in any other state. The average 

 yield in the other states is usually 90 bushels or less. 



Very large yields in the United States, however, are 

 not unheard of. A yield of 700 bushels to the acre in 

 Maine and the other potato-producing areas is not un- 

 common in very favorable seasons. Macoun, in speak- 

 ing of the possibilities of the potato, makes note of the 

 highest recorded yield of potatoes in this country. These 

 were grown by Mrs. Belinda E. Jones of Chautauqua 



^ Spillman, Dixon and Billings. "Farm Management Practice of 

 Chester Co., Pa.," p. 26. 



