RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1419 
Late Crop Seed Potatoes in Southern 
New Jersey 
CHANGE IN METHODS.—The potato growers 
of Southern New .Ter.sey formerly planted 
Northern-grown seed potatoes exclusively, because 
they supposed they were the most productive they 
could use. Howevei", within 10 years their ideas 
and plans have changed. They have found that 
they can grow the most reliable and productive seed 
obtainable in their own communities. The newly 
developed method is saving thousands of doliars for 
the Southern New Jersey growers, and it should be 
of interest to growers in any locality. Their great 
success has been built upon the principle that pota¬ 
toes for seed purposes seem to be especially pro¬ 
ductive if they are dug before they are fully 
matured. This explains why the Northern-grown 
seed was supposed to outyield an.vthiug that could 
be produced in Southern New Jersey. In Northern 
potato-growing sections the seasons are sliort and 
cool, so that the growing conditions are favorable. 
The foliage holds up so that a large crop is pro¬ 
duced by the time frost destroys the growing viiu's. 
The potatoes are therefore immature when dug, full 
ttf vigor and productive Avheu used 
for seed. 
EAIHA’ PLANTING.—In Southern 
New Jersey the growing .season is 
(piite long and the quick-growing 
Irish ('obbler is the favored variet.v 
for early shipments. As a rule, the 
earlier the.v are planted the heavier 
the yield will be. Growers have re¬ 
alized this for years and have planted 
about April 1. The Cobblers are 
ready for shipment in mid-Suminer. 
If allowed to remain in the hot soil 
for a month or more after reaching 
full growth, the.v would become “dead 
ripe,” so that the.v would lose their 
vigor and ability for production if 
used for seed puri)o.ses. The matured 
and undug potatoes would be unnec¬ 
essarily exposed to diseases. Conse¬ 
quently wherever the young vigorous 
seed from the North was compared 
with the locall.v produced overripe 
material, the Northern-grown seed 
outylelded the seed from the early 
planted local crop. 
A liATEIl CROP.—The 8outh .Tei’- 
sey growers have found that they can 
have locally grown reliable and pro¬ 
ductive seed by planting potatoes in 
midsummer. The yield is not large, 
but the potatoes are immature and 
vigorous and reasonably free from 
disease. W. W. Oley, County Agent, 
Cumberland Co.. N. J., claims that 
four-fifths of the enormous early 
potato acreage in his county is 
planted from late-crop Cobblers grown 
c''pressly for seed ])urpo.ses. A 
small i)art of the late crop seed is 
.sent to cold .storage about April 1 to 
be held until midsummer for plant¬ 
ing to produce the late croii for seed 
the following sea.son. The practice 
has become so popular that one cold storage plant 
at Gla.ssboro, N. J., stores 25,000 bushels each Spring 
for planting the late crop in midsummer. 
METHODS USED.—In growing the late crop for 
seed different methods are used from growing an 
early crop of table potatoe.s. Since the .soil may be 
very hot and dry at planting time, August 1-10, the 
.soil must he in the best condition. The ground 
is plowed several weeks before and it is harrowed 
frequently to keep it moist, mellow and cool. The 
favored place is following a sod, which has been 
plowed under in June. The sod should contain 
A'er.v little soil disease, and the decaying vegetable 
matter promotes growth, holds moisture and helps 
to check the development of .scab. Grubs are not 
bothersome to late potatoes, even following a .sod or 
a strawberry bed, provided they are plowed and 
kept harrowed from the moment the previous crop 
is harvested. t)ther early crops that precede late 
crop potatoe.s are early garden peas, string beans, 
rnions from sets. etc. 
STORAGE OF SEED.—Sometimes the seed is 
kept in cool cellars from April until July, but it will 
sprout and shrivel badly in spite of the fact that 
the growers pull off the sprouts and keej) the pota¬ 
toes exposed to the air as much as possible. That 
kept in cold storage is solid and vigorous when 
wanted in midsummer. It is taken out from 10 days 
to two weeks before it is planted to give it a chance 
to “come to life,” and begin to sprout, .so that it will 
he ready to germinate (pihrkly and evenly when 
planted. The seed must not be cut until the very 
day it is to be planted, as cut seed rapidl.v deterior¬ 
ates in hot weather. A moderate application of 
quick-acting fertilizer is applied. Since the vines do 
not complete their growth before killing frost, the 
.seed pieces arc plaute(i a little closer than they are 
ii. the Spring. 'J’he rows should not be opened uj) 
ahead of time, as the .soil would become very hot, 
and the seed should not be dropped until it can be 
covered without delay. It is covered four or five 
inches deep, .so that it may be cool and moist while 
germinating. 
CARE OF 'PIIE CROP.—The late croppjs-s come 
up very <|uickl.v when the jmoper conditions have 
been pi’ovided. .Insi before they come up. I be field 
is thorouglil.v barrowc<l with a sinke-t(K)th and after 
tliat a light si»ring-t(>i>th weeder is used. Light and 
fre(iueut cultivation directly affects tin* yield. Potato 
bugs a.re seldom botliersome in lat(i Summ(*r and 
weeds have in') opportunity to g('t started. Fig. <><>4 
i-hows a field of late croj) Cobblers foi* .seetl. planted 
Aug. h on one of Minch Bro.s. farms, Cumberland 
Co.. N. J. Mr. L. M'illard Minch, president of the 
N. .1. State Horticultural Society, may be seen on 
the left, and Prof. Alva Agee. Secretary of the State 
Board of Agriculture, appears in the center. The 
rows are nearly a half mile long. 
THE YIELD.—The better growers go over their 
late crop once or twice, while they are growing, and 
they pull out any plants which indicate infections 
of disease or any off-tyi^e characteristics. Frost kills 
the vines in October or early November. The set of 
potatoes is usually quite heavy, hut they are small 
and “green.” A yield of 150 five-eighths bu.shel 
baskets is considered good. They keej) well over 
Winter in ordinary potato cellars, but it has been 
found that the best results are obtained when the 
potatoes can be stacked up in storage in the baskets. 
PLANTING T,ATE-GROWN SEED.-^When plant¬ 
ing the late-grown .seed the following Spring one 
basket of the late-grown potatoe.s will go as far as 
a bu.shel of Northern-grown regular sized seed pota¬ 
toes. No matter how small a late cro)) potato is. 
it may be planted whole, and the potatoes that are 
fairly .small may be cut in half. T'he moderate 
sized potatoe.s have just as many eyes as a large 
potato, therefore they can be cut to advantage. 
There is nothing gained at any time in planting ex¬ 
cessively small seed pieces. However, the extensive 
growers claim that a live-eighths b.-tsket of late crop 
should go just as far as a bushel of large Northern- 
grown seed. 
GOOD RESULTS.—'I’lie late-crop i)otato set'd is 
very reliable in coming up, the stand is usually very 
fine and the crop is reasonably free frt)m diseases. 
The yield is equal to or greater than that produc('d 
from any other seed obtainable. Fig. <;(>."» .shows six 
baskets dug from a 4()-acre field, which produced 
more than 100 bushels per acre ou Minch Bros, 
farms, Bridgeton. N. .1. However, the late-croj) set'd 
has one feature which should be considci'ed. II ilccs 
not start (piite .so quickly as Noi'thern-grown seed. 
It is usually about a week lati'r. When an ('xlra 
earl.v croi) is desired, the late-crop seed can bt* made 
to start quicker bj* spreading it out in a warm place 
a week or two before the seed is to be planti^d. 
HALF-GROWN POTATOES FOR SEED.—W1 mi 
one first comsiders the method of growing lat(*-cro]) 
seed, where the growing .sea.son is long, the.v will 
ask, “Why can’t early-planted potatoes be dug when 
half grown, held for a few weeks and then be plant('d 
in midsummer to produce the late seed croiiV” Thi'.v 
might b(^ used, but they will not germinate .so well. 
The.v may be u.sed in a limited wa.v by digging early 
and by cutting or bi*uisiug each potato at digging 
time. Then the.v should be spread out 
in the air and shade to shrivel. How¬ 
ever. this method is not at all practi¬ 
cal for commercial production. 
EXTEN SI \'E PR OI > I ’ C E11S.—'1' 1 u> 
late-crop seed business has beconu* a 
large industr.v during the last Id 
year.s. IMinch Brother.s. at Bridgeton, 
are recognized as the greate.st advo¬ 
cates of the method. Each Spring 
the.v plant 20d acres of earl.v Lible 
potatoes and in mid-season the.v iilant 
enough to produce at b'ast Id.ddO 
busliels of late-crop seed. The.\’ siq*- 
pl.v many local grower.s. and during 
the last year or two they have shi])- 
ped small consignments to distant 
point.s. Reports indicate that the 
late-crop .seed is giving excellent sat¬ 
isfaction in some other State.s. includ¬ 
ing Delaware. Mar.vlaml :uid Virginia. 
ADVANTAGES OF THE METlKiD. 
—The method has distinct advan¬ 
tages which growers in any com¬ 
munity may consider ; The growers 
aie able to produce a most reliable 
and dependable strain of seed. They 
have an oiiportunit.v to hill select at 
digging time so that they would have 
oidy the especially productive and de¬ 
sirable hills' from which to produce 
their own seed stock the following 
season. The.v take no chances of in¬ 
troducing diseases from distant points 
and by growing their own seed 
the.v do not have to send out of tlu'ir 
State approximately for every 
acre they plant to potatoes, a. n. n. 
Fruit Growers and Live Stock 
I N the past fruit growers have been 
too bu.sy growing fruit, and tlu'.v 
have been getting their land all set out to fruit, so 
that they had no pasture land nor any land to grow 
crops on for the cattle to ear. In other words, they 
were growing trees and did not need the fertilizer 
as much as they do now, and keeping cattle was a 
loss to practically every man who keeps them. 
There was no inducement to keep cattle oiil.v for tlu^ 
fertilizer. The past few years more of them an* 
wintering cattle where they have roughage to use 
for this purpose. 
To give you my own experience. I would say that 
m.y father was a great sheep man. I always liked 
sheep and I used always to keep sheep. About lit 
years ago I set out 15 acres of young apple trees, 
and budded them in the Fall to Rhode Island Green¬ 
ing and Twenty Ounce; set them out all 20x40 feet, 
and cropped them between the 40-foot rows. I had 
wheat the first year and seeded it to clover. The 
ne.xt year I had a beautiful stand of clover, second 
crop, up to my knees. I was pasturing my sheep in 
my apple orchards, as I did not cultivate as much 
at that time, and this young appU*‘orchard was right 
alongside of the old orchard. My men told me one 
day in the Fall that the sheep had gt)t out and got 
into that young orchard. I saidr"They will not do 
an.v harm in there. The.v have beautiful feed.” but 
a little later I went up to look at my sheep and 
young apple trees, and I found that those sheep 
A Field of Latc-Crop Seed Folaloes in C 'iiibcrlaitd Vo., N. J. Fiy. 6'6V/ 
Six Baiflccts From Laic-Crop Seed Potafocn. Fia. 665 
