‘The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
779 
Planting Potatoes In Trenches 
I have had 30 years’ . cperienee in farming, and 
yesterday I was working for a man who had me plant 
potatoes in a way that I never heard of. I would like 
to know what the results will be. lie had me dig a 
trench 9 in. deep and drop seed 4 in. apart in rows. 
Ifow should seed he cut? A. J. n. 
Ausablc Forks, N. Y. 
M ANY years ago Mr. Carman, then editor of The 
It. N.-Y.. described this method of planting, 
lie wrote a book about it and called it “The New 
Potato Culture.” Another name given it was the 
“trench-mulcli system.” The plan consisted in dig¬ 
ging a wide and deep trench in naturally good potato 
soil. The seed pieces were laid at the bottom of this 
trench at varying distances apart. Mr. Carman gen¬ 
erally put them 1 ft. apart, hut they were often 
planted closer. The fine soil thrown out of the 
trench was then put hack over the seed pieces. They 
were usually covered first with about 3 in. of this 
soil, and the fertilizer was scattered on top of (his. 
As the plants broke through this first covering the 
remainder of the soil was put in until 
the trench was filled. In some cases he 
filled the trench partly with cut straw, 
the object'being to hold moisture much 
as a sponge under ground might do. 
The theory of this planting was to make 
a wide and deep trench, and then put 
hack the loose soil so that the potato 
plant can throw out its roots without, 
trouble. Mr. Carman found that in many 
cases, especially during a drought, the 
soil baked hard around the plant, so that 
if was almost impossible for the tubers 
to form. The open trench and the loose 
soil gave better opportunity for the 
plant to grow. In a dry time the cut 
straw was an advantage, but in a wet 
season it sometimes held too much 
moisture, and thus induced rotting. 
Some people obtained very good yields 
through the use of this system, but the 
labor cost in digging the trenches was 
too heavy for practical work. Most 
farmers prefer to open a deep furrow 
with the plow and plant the potatoes 
in the ordinary way. There can be no 
doubt, however, about the fact that for 
garden culture, growing potatoes in a 
small way. this system gave good re¬ 
sults. It cannot be recommended for 
field culture on account of the high 
labor cost. 
In regard to cutting the tubers for 
seed, that will depend considerably 
upon the variety. Some varieties, like 
Rural New-Yorker or Carman No. 3, 
form most of the buds or sprouts at 
the end of the tuber, this being known 
as the seed end. The stem end of the 
tuber is where it connects with the 
vine. In some varieties the strong 
buds are grouped around this seed end. 
and in cutting the tuber it is necessary 
to slice it lengthwise so as to have one. 
at least, of these strong buds on each 
piece. In some other varieties of pota¬ 
toes these buds or sprouts are scattered 
all over the tuber, and all of them seem 
to be naturally strong. In that case it 
is not necessary to slice the tuber, but 
it can be cut in almost any way so as 
to leave at least one good sprout, or 
two. if thought best, on each piece. 
The chief thing is to he sure that each 
sprout has a good-sized piece of tuber to support it 
until the plant forms its roots and can take nourish¬ 
ment from the soil. 
two comforts add greatly to the ability of pigs to 
lay on fat during hot weather. 
If in addition a self-feeder is provided with the 
automatic waterer in a shady place, hogs will not. 
as a rule wander far from shade, water and feed, so 
that there is little danger of losing them during a 
hot spell in the Summer. c. m. baker. 
Wayne Co.. O. 
Qualifications for Vote in School Meeting 
At a district school meeting for the purpose of electing 
a trustee and a school tax collector, who has a lawful 
right to vote for the officers? Can a school taxpayer 
vote if he is a foreigner and is ( not naturalized? Can 
he vote if he has his first citizen papers? Can a born 
citizen vote at such a meeting if he is a resident, but 
has no property to pay taxes on? Can a born citizen 
vote at such a meeting if he is under 21 years of age? 
You understand that all these questions pertain only to 
voting at a school meeting. m. s. 
Spring Glen, N. Y. 
election law prescribes the 
it school district meet- 
S ECTION 203 of the electi 
qualifications for voters ; 
age who shall have attended the district school for a 
period of at least eight weeks within the school year 
preceding such meeting. (Under this provision but one 
person may vote, namely, the head of the household.) 
4. One who owns any personal property assessed on 
the last preceding assessment roll of the town exceeding 
$•>0 in value, exclusive of such as is exempt from execu¬ 
tion. (See Education Law, 203.) 
Qualified voters may vote on any question brought 
before any annual or special school meeting; it is not 
assentiol that a person he a taxpayer to rote on propo¬ 
sitions for raising money by tax on the district. 
Women possessing any of the above qualifications are 
entitled to vote. 
A person who is not a citizen may not vote at a 
school meeting. The fact that a person who is not 
a citizen has taken out his first papers docs not 
affect, his status as an alien. lie must have com¬ 
pleted his naturalization. It will be seen that it is 
not necessary in all cases for a qualified voter to be 
a taxpayer. As we see from these special qualifica¬ 
tions, he may vote when his own child of school age 
or a child who is permanently residing with him 
has attended the district school for the period speci¬ 
fied. The law is that a person who is 
not 21 years of age may not vote at a 
school district meeting. 
Sanitary Drinking Fountain for Pigs in Pasture. Fig. 307 
The tourist season has opened. Signs tike this might help some motorist to 
drive with more caution on strange roads 
iugs. There are three general qualifications of age. 
residence and citizenship, and these are given here: 
What to do With Wild Land 
l have on my farm about four acres of 
very light sandy loam which is covered 
with low-vined blackberries. This field is 
perfectly level and stone free. I would 
like to bring it into fertility. Is there 
any way? I have thought of sowing it 
to rye now and plowing it. in in .Tune or 
duly, then sow to buckwheat and plow 
that under in September. Would this 
work out? n. e. i. 
Connecticut. 
O T’ll experience with land of this 
kind, overrun, with blackberries, 
is that lime is the first need. Such 
land has probably been long out of cul¬ 
tivation and is sour, too sour to give 
profitable results with any ordinary 
crop. The most practical way to bring 
up that soil would be to plow it. rea¬ 
sonably deep and use at least 1.200 lbs. 
of good lime to the acre, well harrowed 
in. Tf will not. pay you to seed rye at 
this time, unless you have what is 
known as Spring rye. The ordinary 
Winter rye will not make a suitable 
growth if seeded now. Probably the 
best crop to put in at this time would 
be either oats alone or oats and Canada 
peas, as we have described in The Tt. 
N.-Y. many times. The oats and peas 
seeded on such soil after lime is used 
will make a fair growth. This can be 
plowed under in July, and then a com¬ 
bination of buckwheat and rye can be 
seeded together, as we have often de¬ 
scribed. The buckwheat will make a 
heavy growth, but will be killed by a 
heavy frost. It then, falls down on the 
ground, and the rye will grow up 
through it. Next Spring this growth 
of rye and what is left of the buck¬ 
wheat can be plowed under, and then 
you will be able to raise a good crop of 
corn, particularly if you will use a fair 
quantity of fertilizer. In a general 
way that is the method necessary for 
bringing up such land. If it is as sour 
as we believe you will not make much 
progress unless you use lime, and if 
you are able to use fertilizer with the 
oats and peas or the buckwheat you 
will make more rapid progress and get the land into 
shape earlier. 
GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS 
Automatic Water Supply for Hogs 
CONVENIENT method of watering hogs, as 
shown in Fig. 307. consists in mounting a 
wooden barrel on a skid; to the barrel is attached 
an automatic waterer, operated by a float, so that 
the pigs are supplied water as fast as they drink it. 
This outfit may be pulled under a tree or a shady 
place to keep the water cool. 
It can also be used as a supply tank in the field 
where it is possible to run a hose or a few lengths 
of pipe from the farm water system, whether oper¬ 
ated by a windmill or a gasoline engine. Generally 
old pipe may be secured cheaply and simply laid on 
top of the ground for Summer use. This is a saving 
of labor and guarantees a good supply of water to 
growing pigs. As a rule, when shade is provided 
for the pigs the ’water should be close to it, as these 
1. A citizen of the United States. 
2. At least 21 years of age. 
3. A resident within the district for a period of at 
least 30 days next preceding the meeting at which lie or 
she offers to vote. 
Any person who possesses all of the above general 
qualifications and <iuy one of the four following special 
qualifications is entitled to vote. 
In addition to these, a voter must possess one of 
the four special qualifications given below: 
SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS 
1. One who owns or hires or is in the possession 
under a contract of purchase of real property in such 
district .^able to taxation for school purposes. 
2. (>''"•> who is the parent of a child or children of 
school . e, provided such child or children shall have 
attende. die district school in the district in which the 
meetir is held for a period of at least eight weeks 
within the school year preceding such school meeting. 
(Under this provision both father and mother may 
vote.) 
. One who. not being the parent, has permanently 
residing with him or her a child or children of school 
Rye as a Green Manure 
Gan I plow under rye and grow buckwheat and plow 
that under at: the proper time? Will the rye (just 
coming into the milk) bo sufficiently rotted? I am in 
a hurry to put back fertility into my gravel plains. 
M. s. F. 
OU can, but there are ways of doing it right and 
ways of doing it wrong. We frequently hear from 
farmers who say they plowed under green rye or buck¬ 
wheat and “ruined” their soil. They did come close 
to doing it. but it was not the fault of the rye. The 
method was wrong. Too many people plow the rye 
under and tear the soil open and loose. The air 
works in and starts a quick fermentation of the 
green rye. That works to sour the soil. Then the 
loose rye dries out and prevents the soil from hold¬ 
ing moisture. Of course no crop can grow properly 
under such conditions. When a heavy growth of 
rye is turned under the soil should be promptly 
