16 



NORFOLK TRUCKING 



Irish Cobbler variety is used extensively. Experience has 

 shov^n that this seed and variety answers the purpose of the 

 truck farmer quite satisfactorily. Some growers follow the 

 practice of growing a part of their seed from seed stock ob- 

 tained from the North. Where this is followed northern 

 grown seed is purchased during the winter and placed in 

 cold storage until July, and then planted. The crop from this 

 planting is harvested in November and stored on the farm un- 

 til February, when it is planted for the regular truck crop. 

 Seed potatoes may be grown in this way much more cheap- 

 ly than they can be obtained from the North, but experience 

 has again shown that the crop from the home grown seed is 

 about two weeks later in reaching maturity than is that from 

 seed directly from the North, and since these potatoes are 

 harvested for the early market, the two weeks of time is a 

 very important factor. It frequently happens that potatoes 

 in May or early June will sell at three dollars to four dollars 

 per barrel, while the same quality of potato the middle of 

 June or the first of July will not bring over two dollars to 

 two dollars and one-half per barrel. It will thus be seen that 

 it is very important to have an extremely early crop. 



Large quantities of nitrogenous fertilizers are required to 

 produce this early crop. It is customary to use from fifteen 

 hundred to two thousand pounds per acre of a fertilizer 

 analyzing six per cent, nitrogen, seven per cent, phosphoric 

 acid, and five per cent, potash, for the extremely early crop, 

 but for the crop that is to be harvested the latter part of 

 June or early in July, the nitrogen may profitably be reduced 

 to five per cent., the phosphoric acid increased to eight per 

 cent., and the potash to six or seven per cent. Most truckers 

 apply the fertilizer in the rows immediately before planting. 

 The rows are marked out with a small plow and the fertilizer 

 distributed and worked into the soil with a cultivator. The 

 seed is then planted. Even if horse power planters are 

 used, it is customary to apply the fertilizer in this way, as 

 much better distribution is obtained than is possible with 

 most of the horse planters. 



The potatoes in Eastern Virginia are not greatly troubled 

 with late blight (Phytophthora infestans) , but tipburn, black 



