708 
May  G,  191G. 
deaux  at  the  rate  of  150  gallons  to  the  acre  and  a 
yield  of  250  bushels,  the  cost  of  spray  mixture  would 
only  he  about  ten  cents  per  bushel.  An  advance  of 
this  amount  would  pay  for  the  materials.  It  would 
seem  that  the  present  year  is  the  one  in  which  to 
risk  the  10  cents  a  bushel  in  the  certainty  of  get- 
ling  back  most  of  it  in  the  improved  condition  and 
yield  of  the  potato  plants,  even  if  no  blight  occurs, 
and  of  reaping  a  good  crop  of  high-priced  undis¬ 
eased  tubers,  if  it  does.  b.  f.  iutman. 
Plant  Pathologist  Vermont  Exf).  Station. 
Potato  Soils  and  their  Preparation 
The  Story  Thoroughly  Told 
Part  IV. 
ANOTHER  METHOD.— The  other  method  is  to 
broadcast  either  on  the  surface  or  with  a  grain  drill. 
This  is  often  done  with  large  applications  with  the 
idea  of  feeding  the  plant  through  its  whole  life. 
Enough  will  be  near  the  seed  for  a  starter.  There 
is  with  this  method  the  same  danger  that  the  plant 
roots  may  develop  too  much  where  food  is  most 
abundant  in  the  few  inches  nearest  the  surface.  In 
the  late  Spring  and  early  Summer  there  is  plenty 
of  soil  moisture  near  the  surface.  Later  in  the  Sum¬ 
mer  with  hot  weather  the  soil  to  the  depth  of  sev¬ 
eral  inches  becomes  so  dry  that  there  is  not  enough 
moisture  to  carry  the  plant  food  to  the  roots  in  that 
part  of  the  soil.  It  may  be  that  plants  that  have 
had  to  “rustle  for  their  chuck,”  as  a  cowboy  would 
say,  would  be  in  better  shape  to  stand  drought  than 
those  fertilized  in  either  of  these  ways.  If  the  roots 
had  been  forced  to  spread  down  more  into  the  soil 
and  the  subsoil  to  find  food  they  would  be  in  times 
of  drought  in  a  better  position  to  get  water.  For 
example  in  1908  I  had  a  fertilizer  experiment  in 
which  different  rows  were  fertilized  with  nitrate 
of  soda,  muriate  of  potash  and  acid  phosphate.  Each 
was  applied  to  the  surface  of  the  ridges,  and 
scratched  in  with  the  weeder  a  few  days  after  plant¬ 
ing,  because  of  the  belief  that  the  nitrate  might  be 
lost  if  applied  before.  In  the  extremely  dry  time 
which  followed  the  more  soluble  nitrate  and  potash 
were  able  to  dissolve  better  in  the  soil  water  and 
gave  increases  in  yield  up  to  SO  bushels  per  acre 
where  1.200  pounds  per  acre  was  applied.  The  more 
slowly  soluble  acid  phosphate  gave  but  little  gain. 
Right  by  the  side  of  these  rows  an  application  of 
500  pounds  per  acre  largely  acid  phosphate,  applied 
with  the  planter  and  so  better  mixed  in  the  soil,  gave 
a  gain  of  .39  bushels  per  acre  above  the  check  rows. 
RESULTS  OF  EXPERIENCE.— From  this  and 
other  experience  I  have  worked  out  a  new  method 
of  applying  fertilizer  to  potatoes  suited  to  the  use 
of  large  quantities  per  acre  and  to  soils  liable  to  dry 
out  at  the  Surface  in  Summer.  I  used  in  1913  and 
1914,  2.000  pounds  per  acre  of  a  mixture  of  three 
parts  of  160!  acid  phosphate  to  one  part  of  muriate 
of  potash,  last  year  the  phosphate  only.  Though 
this  costs  less  than  two-tlurds  of  the  cost  per  acre 
of  the  fertilizer  used  by  the  average  of  all  Maine 
farmers  I  would  not  advise  New  York  farmers  with 
their  smaller  net  rainfall  to  use  even  that  much,  un¬ 
less  the  soil  was  of  good  water-holding  capacity.  I 
have  a  dry  sandy  soil  on  which  500  pounds  would  be 
the  limit  for  profit  in  most  years.  The  essential 
idea  of  my  method  is  to  mix  the  fertilizer  through 
the  whole  of  the  plowed  soil  to  the  depth  of  the 
bottom  of  the  furrow,  10  inches  in  my  case.  This 
is  to  attract  the  roots  to  fill  thoroughly  this  space 
besides  going  more  into  the  subsoil.  In  dry  times 
there  is  sure  to  be  plenty  of  water  in  well  tilled  soil 
at  this  depth.  In  the  West  they  have  found  that 
cool  soils  are  better  for  the  potato.  Damp  soil  be¬ 
low  the  surface  is  far  cooler  than  the  dry  top.  The 
first  thing  in  Spring,  even  before  putting  in  the  oats, 
1  go  over  the  previously  Fall-plowed  potato  fields 
with  a  disk  or  spring-tootli  just  as  soon  as  the  soil 
Avill  work  without  injury.  This  is  to  save  every 
drop  of  water  possible  before  it  has  a  chance  to 
evaporate.  As  the  soil  is  full  of  Avater  at  the  end 
of  Winter  more  can  be  saved  by  a  little  work  now 
than  by  much  more  exertion  later.  Then  half  or 
more  of  tlie  fertilizer  is  applied  with  a  drill  or 
broadcast  sower  and  disked  in  to  such  a  depth  that 
the  axles  of  the  16-inch  disks  touch  the  surface. 
Early  iu  May  the  field  is  plowed,  the  rest  of  the 
fertilizer  broadcast  and  disked  in  as  before.  This 
is  all  the  fitting  needed  except  to  use  a  light  harrow 
after  rains  to  gave  moisture.  The  year  1913  Avas 
marked  by  one  of  the  Avorst  droughts  known1  here  in 
the  East.  My  potatoes  fertilized  in  this  Avay  never 
suffered  from  drought  and  yielded  220  bushels  per 
acre,  though  killed  by  a  frost  several  weeks  before 
the  usual  date,  at  a  time  when  they  were  perfectly 
green  and  making  yield  very  fast. 
PLOWING  AND  HARROWING.— I  Fall-plow  rne- 
ZZfus  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
diuni  and  heavy  soils  because  Avork  is  slack  at  that 
time,  much  less  Spring  fitting  is  needed,  the  sod  and 
straw  are  Avell  rotted,  many  Aveeds  are  killed,  Avater 
is  saved  and  the  soil  is  in  better  physical  condition 
for  the  potatoes.  Where  Spring  ploAVing  is  neces¬ 
sary  because  of  steep  hillsides  liable  to  Avash  badly, 
or  other  reasons,  it  should  be  early  to  save  Avater 
and  to  give  time  for  killing  weeds  by  thorough  har¬ 
rowing.  I  know  of  farmers  who  disk  the  sod  be¬ 
fore  ploAVing  Avitli  very  good  results.  It  helps  to 
rot  the  sod  and  makes  it  a  better  sponge  to  hold 
Avater.  It  saves  money  to  harroAv  soil  Avell  before 
planting.  The  soil  can  be  stirred  and  weeds  sprout¬ 
ed  and  killed  much  easier  Avith  wide  spreading  tools 
like  the  harrows  than  after  planting  with  cultiva¬ 
tors.  The  spring-tootli  harrow  is  necessary  Avliore 
ground  is  stony.  If  not  I  prefer  the  disk.  Either 
Cattle  Clipped  for  Identification.  Fig.  256 
is  better  than  the  light  peg-tooth  barrows.  We  like 
to  have  the  soil  firm  below  the  surface  for  the  seed 
of  the  grains  because  being  so  small  and  dry  they 
must  have  soil  water  at  once  to  grow.  The  seed 
of  the  potato  is  large  and  Avatery,  able  to  get  along 
for  weeks  before  its  feeding  roots  can  get  any  water 
lrom  the  soil.  Its  roots  are  unable  to  penetrate 
firm  soils  nearly  as  Avell  as  those  of  the  grains.  So 
we  should  harrow  deep  and  not  use  a  roller  unless 
on  sand.  Plowing  in  both  Fall  and  Spring  has  the 
advantage  Avith  me  that  it  makes  it  easy  to  kill 
quack  grass.  It  was  bad  on  my  farm  Avhell  bought,  but 
Avas  killed  completely  by  the  Summer  tillage  after 
double  plowing?  No  amount  of  Avert  in  Summer 
kills  it  without  the  Winter  exposure  before. 
SUMMARY. — Potatoes  need  a  cool  soil  and  cli¬ 
mate,  an  open  soil  in  which  to  grow  their  weak 
roots,  easily  available  plant  food  and  plenty  of 
Avater.  The  organic  matter  of  the  soil  should  be 
- lens! - - 
Sold  fir  aromm  if  I  Hern  of  6HilXii"g  *«»Kl«flgnl - 
No. _ Shipping  Point - — ■  offico 
Account  Sales  of  a  Carload  of  Mixed  Stock.  Fig.  257 
kept  up  by  rotation  with  Avell  selected  and  limed 
bay  crops,  the  return  of  as  much  manure  and  straw 
as  possible,  and  catch  crops  where  necessary.  Fer¬ 
tilizer  is  often  advisable  to  supplement  the  soil  sup¬ 
ply.  Lastly,  tlie  soil  preparation  before  planting 
Avould  be  suited  to  each  soil  to  best  adapt  its  qual¬ 
ities  to  the  special  needs  of  tlie  potato  plant. 
New  York.  daniel  dean. 
Associations  for  Selling  Live  Stock 
RGRARLY  comparatively  feiv  of  our  readers 
ever  heard  of  Litchfield,  Minn.,  before  they 
read  this  article,  but  that  place  will  go  down  into 
history  as  the  starting  point  for  a  great  system  for 
adding  money  to  the  35-cent  dollar.  In  1908  the 
first  cooperative  organization  for  shipping  stock  in 
this  country  Avas  formed  at  Litchfield.  It  made  an 
immediate  success,  and  other  organizations  quickly 
followed.  Now,  the  Department  of  Agriculture  has 
a  list  of  about  500  organizations  throughout  tlie 
country  who  are  shipping  1  iv<?  stock  in  a  cooperative 
way.  There  are  some  200  of  them  in  Minnesota, 
and  others  located  in  10  .States. 
It  is  easy  to  see  the  advantage  derived  by  farm¬ 
ers  through  this  cooperative  marketing.  They  get 
more  for  the  stock.  What  they  get  is  the  actual 
market  price  at  the  terminal,  with  just  the  cost  of 
marketing  taken  out.  They  get  more  for  the  thin 
stock  and  for  Calves  and  lambs,  because  they  avoid 
the  heavy  demands  of  the  local  buyer.  They  save 
time  and  labor  by  dealing  direct.  In  most  com¬ 
munities  where  live  stock  is  to  be  picked  up  sev¬ 
eral  buyers  operate.  They  drive  about  from  farm 
to  farm,  dickering  for  the  stock  and  dealing  Avith 
the  farmers  as  individuals.  Wherever  the  farm¬ 
ers  organize  for  shipping  together  the  business  of 
the  local  buyer  is  reduced  or  given  up  entirely. 
These  local  buyers  usually  act  together  and  agree 
among  themselves  as  to  prices  they  will  pay,  so  that 
there  is  no  competition  Avhatever.  The  association 
breaks  this  system  up  and  prevents  this  form  of 
monopoly.  In  one  county  of  Minnesota  there  are 
seven  association  managers  selling  the  1  ive  stock 
which  was  formerly  purchased  by  24  local  buyers. 
Farmers’  Bulletin  718,  from  the  National  De¬ 
partment  of  Agriculture,  tells  all  about  these  as¬ 
sociations,  and  gives  the  constitution  of  the  parent 
society  at  Litchfield.  Briefly  stated,  the  association 
is  bound  together  by  a  strong  constitution,  and  tlie 
members  agree  to  ship  their  live  stock  in  bulk. 
They  elect  some  lh'e  man  as  manager,  who  takes 
charge  of  collecting  and  shipping,  and  if  need  be 
goes  along  Avith  the  shipment.  Tie  is  to  look  out 
for  proper  car  space,  find  out  from  the  members 
how  much  stock  is  going  to  market,  and  load  the 
stock,  hunt  up  the  market,  make  a  trade  with  the 
city  dealer,  and  keep  his  eye  on  the  stock  until  it 
is  properly  sold. 
The  day  of  shipment,  which  is  generally  decided 
by  a  board  of  directors,  the  manager  notifies  the 
farmers  by  telephone  or  otherwise,  and  learns  from 
them  how  many  head  of  stock  they  will  send,  Avith 
a  fair  idea  of  their  Aveiglit  and  quality.  This  is 
done  several  days  in  advance,  so  that  the  manager 
Avill  have  a  chance  to  arrange  for  cars.  The  stock 
is  brought  in  by  the  farmers,  examined  and  loaded 
by  the  manager,  and  off  it  goes  on  tlie  regular 
slapping  day. 
Each  member  of  the  association  is  given  a  certain 
mark  or  brand,  so  that  bis  stock  may  be  known. 
With  cattle  the  usual  plan  is  to  clip  the  hair  on 
the  rump  so  as  to  leave  letters  or  marks.  This  is 
shown  at  Fig.  256,  the  hair  being  cut  out  Avitli  a 
pair  of  curved  clippers  or  scissors.  Hogs  and  sheep 
are  generally  marked  with  paint,  using  different 
combinations  and  colors,  representing  the  different 
owners.  This  marking  permits  the  manager  at  the 
stock  yard  to  identify  the  stock  belonging  to  differ¬ 
ent  OAvners,  and  the  commission  man  or  dealer  who 
sells  the  stock  has  copies  of  these  different  prints 
or  marks.  Below  is  given  a  reproduction  of  the 
returns  made  by  one  commission  firm,  Avhieli  will 
show  how  these  different  marks  enable  tlie  associa¬ 
tion  to  identify  the  property  of  individual  shippers. 
To  finance  the  business  an  annual  membership 
fee  is  paid  from  each  person  Avho  ships  through  the 
association.  The  fee  is  small,  usually  not  more  than 
50  cents,  and  is  deducted  annually  from  the  first 
shipment  of  each  farmer.  There  is  also  a  small  rate 
for  each  hundredweight  of  car  deducted  from  each 
shipment.  This  covers  the  manager's  commission 
and  running  expenses,  and  also  provides  for  a  sink¬ 
ing  fund.  The  manager’s  commission  varies  from 
five  to  eight  cents  per  hundredweight,  although 
some  associations  pay  a  certain  rate  per  car.  The 
sinking  fund  is,  used  for  protection  or  insurance.  It 
is  set  aside  so  as  to  pay  for  animals  Avbicli  are 
killed  or  injured  in  transit.  This  usually  amounts 
to  tAvo  cents  per  hundredweight  on  cattle  and  three 
cents  for  smaller  animals.  This  gives  a  fund  con¬ 
stantly  on  band,  so  that  losses  or  accidents  may  be 
promptly  provided  for.  To  sIioav  the  increase  of 
business  done  by  these  organizations  in  the  year 
1908  tlie  Litchfield  association  shipped  14  carloads 
of  stock,  Avith  gross  receipts  of  $11,599.26.  In  1914 
there  were  shipped  173  carloads,  with  gross  re¬ 
ceipts  of  $256,044.14.  It  is  said  to  be  a  fair  esti¬ 
mate  that  the  200  associations  in  Minnesota  saved 
to  their  members  $6,000,000  in  1914,  and  tlie  system 
seems  to  be  spreading  all  through  the  stock  ship¬ 
ping  districts. 
Some  of  these  associations  are  branching  out  into 
buying  also.  This  buying  is  usually  confined  to  the 
purchase  of  grain  and  feed  in  carload  lots.  Farm¬ 
ers  sell  the  feed  direct  from  the  cars,  although  some 
of  the  older  associations  have  built  warehouses 
Avhere  supplies  are  bought  at  Avholesale  and  kept 
until  the  fanners  are  ready  for  them.  One  asso¬ 
ciation  reports  that  in  the  Spring  of  1915  it  was 
able  to  buy  corn  for  its  members  at  12  cents  per 
bushel  less  than  dealers  were  charging.  Here  then 
is  practical  cooperation — a  genuine  addition  to  the 
35-cent  dollar  through  the  efforts  of  farmers  them¬ 
selves  and  that  is  the  true  Avay  of  benefiting  them. 
These  organizations  are  likely  to  spread  into  every 
