1 



O MAN in America probably has so great a 

 reputation as a potato grower as Mr. T. B. 

 Terry, whose portrait I reproduce on this page. 

 Mr. Terry grew the Freeman Potatoes largely in 1891 

 and again in 1892, and I give herewith the result of 

 his experience each year, taken from the columns of 

 The Practical Farmer, for which paper Mr. Terry 

 writes exclusively. 



In this connection it might be well to repeat what 

 I have already stated — that every customer sending 

 me au order for $2.00 and upwards and 50 cents 

 additional, or an order amounting to $3. 50 or over, 

 and 25 cents additional will be entitled to receive The 

 Practical Farmer every week for one year. 



What Mr. Terry had to say about The Freeman 

 Potato in 1891. 



Mr. T. B. Terry had this to sav about The Freeman Potato in the September 

 19th. 1891, issue of The Practical Farmer: 



"Some readers of The Practical Farmer will remember our planting a barrel 

 of the Freeman Potatoes last Spring. We cut the seed up pretty fine for field 

 culture and spread it over ground enough to give them a fair chance. The barrel 

 contained 165 pounds of tubers when it came last Fall. The Freeman has but 

 few eyes, and many of the potatoes were too large to spread well for seed. We 

 planted them about the 1st of May by hand. Some of the seed "fell upon 

 stony places" or "among thorns," but all went into good ground. I will say, 

 however, that no manure or fertilizer of any kind was used except clover and 

 a small patch of old June grass sod. There was actually no forcing whatever 

 except in the line of tillage. In that respect we did our best. The surface was 

 kept mellow by means of cultivator and pronged hoes, without any regard to 

 time spent. They were planted 4 inches deep on half the ground and 3 on the 

 rest. They were never hilled up at all, except just as the vines began to die we 

 went through with a hoe and covered some tubers that had raised up out of the 

 ground, because there was no longer room for them to expand in it. Right 

 here we made a mistake. We covered the seed all at once. These little pieces 

 would have done better if planted in holes 4 inches deep and the dirt but half 

 put back at planting time. After the plants got up and started the rest could 

 nave been gradually worked in around them. As it was, although they were 

 covered with the finest earth, they were a long time getting up to daylight 

 where planted and covered 4 inches deep. 



Well, now, what was the result? An experienced potato grower who was 

 over here yesterday, after looking over the potatoes, said to me: "Terry, don't 

 you ever tell of this, because not one man in a hundred will believe it." Per- 

 haps he is right, but I shall tell, all the same. We have 305 bushels of Freeman 

 Potatoes in our cellar, the product of that barrel of seed. The potatoes were 

 all picked up in bushel boxes and counted and emptied after each day's digging, 

 so there can be no mistake. Of course there were many hills that were not 

 very good from such fine cut seed ; but many of them, where they got a good 

 start, were wonderful. The ground was bulged up about like half a pumpkin. 

 Some of the potatoes were very large. Twenty of the largest filled a half.bushel 

 basket. I do not think I have had such a basket of potatoes on my farm since 

 the Early Rose first came. They were fully as large the first year we grew them 

 (in a small way)., but were heavily manured. These were fed on clover only. 

 The June grass patch was not as good. Of course the splitting of eyes could 

 have been carried much farther, as some experts know. Possibly a thousand 

 bushels could have been grown from that barrel of seed, but it would have 

 taken an immense amount of labor and care. For field culture I went rather 

 beyond the practical line. 



Our Experiment Stations may learn a lesson from this bit of experience. I 

 believe without exception they have reported a much less yield where seed 

 potatoes were cut to one eye. They ad rise two or three eyes or more on a piece. 

 They get best results from using that amount of seed. This is simply a matter 

 of conditions and skill. The reports do not speak very well for either of our 

 Station Farms. On good potato soil I can grow as many bushels of merchanta- 

 ble potatoes per acre from one eye seed as can be grown from more seed on the 

 same soil. They will need a little extra care, but by giving this we pocket just 

 so much more money to start with. With potatoes as high as they were last 

 Spring this is a large saving. My seed was certainly worth $1.50 a bushel. One- 

 eye cutting takes about 8 bushels per acre. Two-eye pieces would cost 112.00 an 

 acre more : $144 on 12 acres will pay me for a little extra care. With very little 

 more care I can seed an acre with 3 bushels of such a vigorous grower as the 

 Freeman and get a full crop, as large as the land is capable of producing. The 

 yield per acre from the Freeman this year, from the extremely light, thin seeding, 

 was more than the best-manured fields in this neigborhoodwill average. It is 

 simply a matter of labor, friends, properly directed. This is no hobby of mine, 

 but the way I make my moneyl have cut all seed to one eye for more than 

 twenty years. I know just what I am talking about. It is one of the advanced 

 steps that go to make our farming profitable. But let no reader do as I do in the 

 matter of fine cutting unless he has a good seed and understands how to follow 

 the matter up and will do it. 



Some will wonder, perhaps, whether I could have done as well with any of 

 our many varieties of potatoes as I did with the Freeman. I think not. It 

 seems to be a wonderful potato. But farther trial will be necessary to establish 

 this point. 



We dug our Freemans by hand, as thev were in small patches, and it was 

 hardly worth while to turn around so many times with our big four-horse dig- 

 ger. Now we are taking out the Monroe seedlings by horse-power, about 250 

 bushels a day." 



Later onMr. Terry writes as follows : " I promised to tell you about the eat- 

 ing qualities of the Freeman Potatoes after I had tried them. At the price they 

 sold at last Spring a farmer could not afford to smell of one hardly, let alone eat- 

 ing. Well, we have eaten some of the very poorest of the culls, that would not 

 possibly do to plant, and as I expected from their looks and growth, the quality 

 is perfect. They are as white as the Snowflake, and either boiled or baked, are 

 as good as any one could ask for." 



What Mr. Terry has to say about The Freeman 

 Potato in 1892. 



I quote as follows from an article concerning The Freeman Potato, by T. B. 

 Terry in October 8th, 1892, issue of The Practical Farmer: 



' ' The Freeman Potato. Last year the writer tried to see how many he could 

 grow of these from a barrel of seed. The result was 305 bushels. Of course the 

 seed was split up very fine, and each little piece given plenty of room. The 

 yield per acre was not large; that was not what we were after. This year I 

 measured off an exact half acre and planted one eye pieces, such as we 

 ordinarily use, the common distance apart, to see what this noted potato would 

 do in the way of yield per acre. The half acre was all good land. Our land is 

 not all good for potatoes. This was selected so it should be. I intended to give 

 them every care that a good farmer should. But, alas ! Every thing was 

 against me. May and June were wet beyond everything ever known here, and 

 my land not sandy enough to stand it without serious injury. Owingto constant 

 rain the seed, which was unsprouted the first of May when we intended to plant, 

 laid around until it was sadly injured. The crop was planted hastily, in drills 

 32 inches apart and a piece every foot in the drills. It was too wet when we 

 planted, but wetter in a very short time. Nearly all the early part of the season 

 we were unable to do our best in caring for the crop. 



All this was a great disappointment to me for to tell the truth, I set out to 

 beat my old friend, J. M. Smith, of Wisconsin. I got a little ahead of him last 

 year on yield from a barrel of seed only because he had the season against him. 

 He will probably leave me out of sight" this year on accountof our very unfavor- 

 able weather. Evidence of this is shown in the market price here," which is 

 about double what it was last fall, and would be much higher if this section had 

 to depend on home supply. 



Well, we dug the crop yesterday, such as it was. We got 157 bushels from 

 the half acre, or at the rate of 314 bushels per acre. Quite a few of the email 

 ones were not picked up. With such a season as last I should have expected to 

 put just another hundred bushels on the same ground. I like the Freeman even 

 better than I did last year. They are almost perfect in shape, smooth and nice. 

 They are strong growers. In one respect they this year beat any variety I ever 

 grew. In July we had a fearfully hot week. This perhaps did as much to 

 injure the early potato crop as the excess of rain. There was a little gravelly 

 spot on the half acre, with a southern exposure. The Freemans died down 

 on this spot during the hot week considerably. They were just burned up. On 

 the heavier cooler soil they were not affected much. The result was that these 

 last grew on steadily and died down naturally. The injured ones on the 

 gravelly soil come on when rain and cooler weather came and grew all up green 

 again. Now potato men know what that means — little potatoes swelling out 

 here and there on the big ones. This with all the other troubles made me 

 entirely disgusted. Why only last week some visitors wanted to see some of 

 the Freemans and I took a fork and went to where they had grown all rightand 

 dug some fine tubers, which indicated a yield of about two bushels to the 

 square rod. I was careful not to dig any of those second growth ones. We all 

 do naturally want to put our best foot forward you know. 



Now I will not surprise you as much as I was surprised wlwen I say there 

 were only nice smooth potatoes where the second growth was made. The 

 energy of the vines was spent in increasing the size of the little potatoes, instead 

 of growing little ones on the big ones. I got my finest potatoes where I expected 

 almost worthless ones." 



CAUTION 



Last year was the first season Freeman Potatoes were offered in quantity. Owing 

 to the enormous demand, orders for hundreds of barrels had to be declined and money 

 refunded; consequently comparatively few people were able to plant any very large 

 quantity. 



In 1892 Ipositively controlled the entire stock of Freemans in America ; but having 

 offered them last season by the barrel, I cannot say that I now entirely control the slock. 

 Still I have had grown the past season and have for sale about 5000 bushels of Freemans, 

 which stock I am very sure is far larger than all the genuine Freemans fo\ sale in the 

 hands of other growers the country over. 



{Note.— Most of my customers who purchased last year have written me they are 

 going to plant themselves all they raised.) 



On this account I caution all my friends to be careful of whom, 

 they purchase Freeman Potatoes, and unless they can positively 

 purchase seed from one of my customers of last year .who pro- 

 cured stock from me, I would advise them, if THEY DESIRE 

 THE SIMON PURE FREEMANS, TO ORDER DIRECT FROM 

 HEADQUARTERS, AND BY HEADQUARTERS I MEAN— 

 WM. H ENRY MAULE. 



Prices of Freeman's for 1893. 



Pound, 30 cts.: 3 pounds, $1.00, postpaid; half peck, $1.00; peck, 

 $1.50; half bushel, $2.50; bushel, $4.00; barrel, $7.50; 3 barrels, 

 $12.50 ; 10 barrels, $55.00. 



76 



