VOL. XLVII. NO, 2023. NEW YORK. NOVEMBER 3, 1888, PRICE five cents. 
______ * _ ’ $2.00 PER YEAR. 
[Entered According to Act of Congress,Jn the Year 1838, by the Rural .New-Yorker, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.] 
1076 ! 
Potato Contest Decided. 
THE RURAL SEEDLING NO. 2 
YIELDED AT THE RATE 
OF 1,076 BUSHELS ' 
TO TH E ACRE. 
The No. 4 Yielded at the Rate 
of 644 Bushels to the Acre. 
The No. S Lost the Day. 
Nearly a Failure on Account 
of the Flea-Beetle. 
Yielded at tlierate of Only 
276 Bushels of Small Po¬ 
tatoes to the Acre. 
And So the Entire Yield Was 
Brought Down to 583 
Bushels to the Acre. 
And the Rural Was Defeated ! 
THE MERITS OF THE R. N.-Y. 
TRENCH SYSTEM APPARENT. 
The Contest to be Renewed Next 
Year on a Larger Plot. 
THE WHOLE STORY. 
Owing to the lateness of the season, the 
“Contest” plot was not planted until April 
20. The planting was begun at 7 a.m. At 8 
a.m., a shower began which continued until 
the work was finished, causing the soil to be¬ 
come muddy on the surface. Previously 
(April 9th), the seed potatoes were spread out 
singly in a warm room. The eyes of the “seed 
end” soon pushed, forming short, warty 
shoots. The eyes of the other portions of the 
potatoes grew but slightly. The object of 
placing the seed potatoes in a warm, light 
room was to secure the most vigorous “ seed ” 
for the Contest plot. All potatoes, the eyes 
of which seemed dormant or feeble, were re¬ 
jected. They were cut according to the num¬ 
ber of strong eyes developed, the object being 
to nave, at least, three to a piece. On April 
18, the trenches were dug with a spade, about 
seven inches deep and a full foot in width. As 
we have not as yet determined whether it is 
better to strew the fertilizer under or over the 
seed, it was sown both under and over. Eight 
hundred and eighty pounds (880), were first 
evenly sown in the bottom of the trench, and 
incorporated with the soil by a Hexamer 
pronged hoe. On this, an inch or so of soil 
was raked, and the seed-pieces were placed 
exactly one foot apart, the trenches being 
three feet, measuring from the middle of each. 
These were covered with another inch of soil, 
and powdered sulphur was scattered upon it 
at the rate of 400 pounds to the acre. Then 
an additional spread of the fertilizer (Mapes’s 
Potato*), at the rate of 880 pounds to the acre, 
was given, making in all 1,760 pounds to the 
acre. The trenches were then refilled with 
the soil taken out, which, being somewhat 
lighter than the rest,left the soil of the trenches 
higher than that between. 
We are careful not to compact the trench 
soil any more than can be helped. The ridge 
left soon settles to the general level, and is so 
preserved during the season, as all hilling up 
is carefully avoided. The plot was planted to 
* We And the average of the station analyses of tills 
fertilizer to be as follows; Ammonia, 6 per cent.; 
phosphoric acid, 12 per cent.; potash, 7 per cent. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER’S POTATO CONTEST. See Rage 729. 
THE JUDGES AND THE HARVEST. 
