COSTS AXD FARM PRACTICES IX PRODUCING POTATOES. 
33 
practiced outside- the Minnesota and Maine areas. In the Anoka 
area a considerable quantity of potatoes is raised for the early local 
market, which accounts for the spread of the periods of operations. 
On the whole, the time for performing the different operations is very 
similar for all the areas. The major portions of the crops of these 
regions are available for the market at about the same time. The 
busiest months in growing potatoes are May, June, July, and October, 
MATERIALS. 
The items of production costs included under " Materials ' ? are: 
Manure, seed, fertilizer, spray material, and seed-treatment material. 
Manure. — An estimate was secured from each grower as to the 
number of tons of manure applied to the potato acreage and of the 
value of the manure at the barn. Manure was commonly applied 
with a manure spreader of standard size and it was thus not very 
difficult for the farmer to estimate the quantity applied. 
Manure was usually applied to the potato crop. The applications 
were light in the areas of Clay County, Minn., and Aroostook County, 
Me., because of the limited supply for the large acreages grown in 
these areas. However, the application per acre was liberal for the 
acres covered. 
Dairying was an important enterprise in all the areas excepting the 
Maine area and a large proportion of the manure used was produced 
on the farm. The value of the manure as given in Table 37 is the 
value per ton at the barn. 
There were a few instances where rye or some other cover crop was 
sowed in the autumn to be plowed under the following spring as a 
green manure crop. In these cases the cost of seed and cost of labor 
of putting in the crop were charged against the potato crop. The 
plant food and humus value of sod plowed under for potatoes was 
not charged against the crop. Its value to the potato crop would 
be difficult to determine with any degree of accuracy, but the im- 
portance of a clover sod in the rotation is appreciated by all good 
farmers. 
Table 37: — Quantity and price of manure and fertilizer applied potatoes (1919), 461 farms. 
Minnesota. 
Clay 
County. 
Wisconsin. Michigan. New York. Maine. 
Anoka ! Barron 
County. Count 
Wau- Mont- 
paca calm 
' County. County. 
Grand 
Trav- 
erse 
County 
Steu- 
ben 
County 
Monroe 
County. 
Aroos- 
took • 
County. 
Manure . 
Tons per acre 
Price per ton 
Per cent acres manured . . 
Fertilizer: 
Pounds per acre 
Price per ton 
Per cent acres fertilized. 
4.6 
SI. 75 
33 



12.0 
$1.42 
87 



14.1 
SI. 96 
79 
$33 
0) 
11.0 11.9 
S2. 22 S2. 37 
87 93 
8 
S26 
C 1 ) 
9.9 
$2.23 
81 



9.0 
$2.44 
75 
14.2 
$2.10 
90 
128 114 
$28 $3S 
21 29 
3.9 
$2.44 
37 
1,965 
181 
99 
1 One grower in this area used commercial fertilizer. 
Fertilizer. — The purchase price, plus freight paid, was used as the 
cost of fertilizer. The individual grower has little difficulty in 
recalling the quantity of fertilizer applied per acre. The hauling was 
included in the labor charge. 
