15
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
Growing Good Potatoes in the Pacific Northwest
Some Ideas on the Homely “ S pud” by Men Who Know W hereof They W rite.
<»
®
This is the first of a series
■e> of articles discussing
potato <»'’
<s> growing.
**’
♦
♦
By O. M. MORRIS, Horticulturist; J. O.
HALL, Plant Pathologist, and M. A.
YOTHERS. Asst, Entomologist.
|N THE United States as a whole the
| potato crop ranks sixth in value.
Notwithstanding this fact, we im­
ported from foreign countries over 13,-
000,000 bushels in 1912.
In view of the latter fact and the
magnitude of the industry, and also in
view of the number of problems con­
nected with the industry, it would seem
that every aid possible should be given
to i t
Few of our agricultural crops involve
more complex problems and call for
greater exercise of care and judgment,
if the crop Is to he grown profitably
and kept from from fungous and insect
pests.
It is desired to call special attention
to the fact that several serious potato
pests are just entering the state for
the first time. They should be attacked
relentlessly. An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure.
Soil Conditions Needed.
The potato requires a rich, mellow,
loam soil for its best development.
Splendid crops are frequently grown on
sandy and heavy clay soils. The sandy
loams produce smooth, even potatoes
with bright skin and shallow eyes and
usually mature the crop at an earlier
date than the heavier loams.
The heavy loams tend to produce large
vines of late maturity and tubers of
rather rough, irregular form, with deep
eyes and poor quality. A good humus
content is necessary for the best pro­
duction. The vegetation in the soil
should be in an advanced stage of de­
cay.
Soil that contains a large amount of
vegetation just entering the process of
decay is not suitable for potato grow­
ing and should be devoted to some
other crop for one or two years before
planting to potatoes. The subsoil may
be heavier than the surface soil, and
sandy or medium loams underlaid with
cla” or even gravel as another extreme,
can be made to produce excellent crops.
Drainage is Required.
The eoil devoted to potato crops
should be well drained. The surface
should have slope enough to admit of
good surface drainage so that the w ate'
will never stand in pools or fail to run
off in case of excessive rainfall. The
subsoil should be of such a character
that gives good drainage, or tile drains
should be used and well distributed
so that any excessive moisture will be
carried away.
Potatoes can not be grown satisfac­
torily in soil that contains an excess
of moisture.
Land that is especially subject to late
spring or early fall frosts is not well
adapted to potato culture. Tne vines
are frost tender and must make a g<«d
gTowth in the spring before the hot
summer weather comes on.
They endure cool nights well, but for
the best development should have a
great deal of sunshine. They are
especially subject to disease during
cloudy, moist weather.
Preparing the Land.
The land should be cultivated until
it is mellow and of a rather open or
porous character. This condition can
best be obtained by rotating the potato
crop with other field crops. Land can
be used for potatoes for two years suc­
cessfully, but it is ordinarily the beet
plan to devote the land to some other
crop the third year.
For the third year of this rotation
some crop should be chosen that will
turn into the soil a large amount of
vegetation. The old potato growing
sections of the United States have found
it greatly to their advantage to use a
four or five year rotation, growing
clover, alfalfa, field peas, or some simi­
lar crop on the land for one or two
years, and turning under a large amount
of vegetation, and then devoting the
land to some cultivated crop for one
year and then to potatoes for one or
two years.
This process is one of the most suc­
cessful in eliminating diseases, and re­
duces to a minimum the effect and ex­
pense of maintaining the soil fertility.
The soil should be mellow and in good
friable condition to a depth of seven or
eight inches just previous to planting,
but if fall plowing has been done, it
will seldom be necessary to do more
than a surface tillage.
Planting Suggestions.
The Joke is On The Editor, Surely
“ A Joke on Pullm an” About a Piece of “ A m bergris” Turns Out
No Joke, for “ A m bergris” Was not Ambergris A fter All.
WEEK or so ago the Home and
Farm Magazine printed an item
about an examination having been
made by experts at Pullman, headquar
ters of the Washington Agricultural Col­
lege, of an alleged piece of ambergris.
The officials declared that the find
was not ambergris.
The owner, however, sent a specimen
to Germany and he was informed it was
ambergris.
This looked like a good joke on the
officials and an item was printed, head­
ed: “ A JOKE ON PULLMAN.’’
Since the publication of the item in
question, the Department of Chemistry
experts at Pullman have been upheld
by perhaps the leading ambergris ex­
porters in the United States, and they
have so advised the editor.
It seems as if the joke were rather
on the editor than on Pulliuan. Per
haps the joke also is on the owner of
the “ ambergris.’’
Anyway, here is the little item, that
caused the trouble:
A
" I t thus appears that our judgment
in the case was correct and I trust that
you will give this communication as
much publicity as was afforded "T he
Joke on Pullman.’’
ELTON FULMER,
Head of Department of Chemistry.
And if we have not eaten " c ro w ’’
enough, we shall say right here that the
"n e x t tim e’’—but there won't be any
next time—we shall not try and pit our
editorial wit against Pullman wisdow.
For an early crop the planting should
be done as soon as the land can be
worked and the potatoes grown without
danger of frost. A very common prac
tice is to plant early so that the plants
will reach the surface of the soil as
danger of frost is past.
Very light frosts will sometimes do
no harm to the potatoes and even heav­
ier ones will only nip back the foliage
without killing the entire plant. How­
ever, frost usually retards the growth
and development of the plant, and early
Billion Needed To
maturity is seldom gained by extremely
early planting. For the late crop in the
sections having long growing periods,
Improve Roads
the planting can be done as late as June.
It is usually advisable to plant early
HERE are 2,200,000 miles of public
enough so the plants will have ample
roads in the United States, oi
time to mature and die before frost.
which approximately one-tenth
If an abundant moisture supply is
have been improved by grinding, drain
present, the vines may continue to grow
ing and hard surfacing. The remaining
until frost without regard to the date
2,000,000 miles cannot be made into
of planting. In such sections, mid­
such improved highways all at once. At
season and early planting is to be pre­ *
<i> a minimum of $5,000 a mile, the total
ferred. The first killing frosts will
A JOKE ON PULLMAN,
cost would be $10,000,000,000. The com
usually be followed by enough warm
--------
<» mon-sence solution of the problem, which
weather to allow the potatoes to ripen <S>
Five months ago Leonard Dix- <§>
before there is any necessity for dig­ <8> on, a young rancher living near <$> has been suggested, is that the burden
be divided between the National Gov
ging-
East Sound, Orcas Island, found <s> eminent, tho state, county and town
Depth of Planting.
a queer appearing mass in the ■$> ship, along logical lines, the Federal
In light, sandy soils it is advisable >j> water near this place. He <$> Government to lend its aid and super
to plant the potatoes more shallow than <S> thought it might be ambergris, <t> vision to the great interstate and trans
in heavy soils. Soils that warm slowly 5> so
a sample to the Wash
continental routes that connect princi
in the spring also usually produces bet­ $> ingfon State College at Pullman <?’ pal cities aud state capitals, tho state
ter crops, if the planting is shallow. <i> for analysis. I t was returned <S> to improve and maintain its main roads
This varies also with varieties and sys­ <S> with the report that the pro- <S> linking up the county seats and extend
tems of tillage and field work. In i> fessors there did not know what <$> ing to the state line; the country to
irrigated sections, it is more common to <$> it was. Some weeks later a mem- <s> have charge of tributary market roads,
plant shallow than in the non-irrigated
ber of the Arctic Club, Seattle, ■••• aud the township to shape up and drag
sections. Local practice should be taken <i> who knew of the i.nd, took a <®
> the earth roads leading from the farm
as the best indication of what should <s> sample to Germany, and now a <§> to the nearest gravel, sand-clay or othei
be done in each section.
<S> letter has come to Mr. Dixon <$> county market road.
For large areas, mechanical planters
stating that the substance is ♦
The roads that are most traveled
are usually to be preferred to hand <i> ambergis and asking for inform- <§>
should bo improved first aud in the
planting. The stand of plants obtained
ation as to the quantity of the ♦ most substantial way. In many state»
is more uniform because of more regu­ <$> find.
■*- 80 to 90 per cent of the total travel it
lar placing of the seed. The work is
In the meantime Dixon bad •$> carried by 15 to 20 per cent of the road
easier and cheaper done by machinery <s> abandoned the idea that it was
mileage, so the largest number of in
and the entire field can be planted in <s> ambergris and used a part of the <s-
habitants
are benefited by the permu
much shorter time. There are two types
substance as skid grease and <$> nent improvement of these main roads
of mechanical planters in general use, ■s> found it excellent for this pur- <i>
called the picker planters and non­ ■j> purse. The ambergris is said to <s> The farmer who lives a mile from a
main road and five miles from market
picker planters. The picker planter is a
be valued at from $16 to $20 an <$> gets more jienefit from the improve
complete machine within itself and & ounce, making it highly expen- <i>
ment of the main road than he would
picks out of a hopper each individual ♦ sive as skid grease.
from the improvement o f the road past
piece and drops one piece at a time.
The ambergris was found off
his door.
The non picker planter depends upon a <8> what i9 known as Agate Beach, <0>
The Shackleford post road bill in Con
man for placing the piece of potato in
a favorite place for summer <i>
a plate or chute, from which it is drop­ <s> visitors on Orcas Island, and is <$• gress can accomplish great good if cn
acted, after being amended so that the
ped by mechanical means into the far­ <8> supposed to have been washed
federal appropriations will go to tht
row below. The non-picker type does
in from the Gulf of Georgia.
♦
state highway commissions of the vari
not bruise or mangle the Beed, but it •»
<§>
ous states, instead of being parceled out
requires an additional man to do the
in insignificant amounts to local road
work and is liable to give an uneven
And here is a letter the editor re­
stand unless the man at the hopper ceived from Professor Elton Fulmer, authorities in congressional districts
is very quick and accurate in his work. head of the Department of Chemistry Expenditures of Government funds upon
the interstate routes will relieve tht
at Pullman and State Chemist of the state and counties of this burden, se
State of Washington:
that they can devote their funds to the
"Sometime ago there appeared in shorter market roads and tributaries.
your publication a brief article headed,
‘A Joke on Pullman.’ The statement in
Tho Michigan State Suffrage Associa
this article that we had examined a tion has indorsed a state system of re
sample of the material and pronounced tirement salaries for teachers.
i HE custom of seeding freshly clear­ it not to be ambergris was a correct
In rural schools in Missouri, girls are
ed stump land to pasture has not one.
been very widely practiced in
"U pon reading in the above mention organized into "pick and shovel clubs’’
many parts of the country. However, ed article that a sample of the above under the auspices of the Nation?) Con
the plan is gaining foothold rapidly. The substance bad been taken to Germany gress of Mothers.
method used is to pulverize the ground and there pronounced to be ambergris,
The most popular feminine Christian
quite thoroughly with the disk if the we sent the sample upon which we
ground is not too turfy, the breaking had passed judgment to the Fries Broth name is France is Marv.
plow if it is, and sow about half bushel ers of New York City, who in turn sub­
Miss Fern Hobbs, private secretary
of rye, two pounds of rape seed, three mitted it to a firm of exporters and
pounds of timothy, three pounds of red importers of musk, ambergris, and simi Governor West, of Oregon, is bei
as a candidate for the g<
top, two pounds of alsike t^ d four lar substances, namely: The George mentioned
ernorship.
pounds of clover to the acre. The rye Leuders & Company. They are undoubt­
is sown first so as to get it thoroughly edly qualified to pass upon such mater
London society women have
covered by the disking, then harrow ials as ambergris.
the new fad set by Mrs. Abdey
the ground down smoothly and sow the
"W’e have just received a communi­ Place, Marylebone, and are
grass seed and the rape and re-harrow. cation from them, from which I quote their backs photographed— a 1
It will make an excellent hog pasture you as follows:
as it were.
and develop into a permanent stand of
" 'W hile we cannot say what the ma­
grass for future years.
terial submitted may be we can state
The proportions of the seed eould be positively that it is not ambergris. It
varied according to conditions of the has not the appearance of ambergris,
land, as red top and aslike clover are nor the character of ambergris, nor the
MalF-bnes • BFchings ArF Work
better adapted to wet land than are characteristics, much less the scent. We
--------P R O M P T S T R V / C F ----------
the timothy and red clover. The rye will also add that ambergris to our
ALL W ORN G U A R A N T E E D
and rape will furnish pasture until th* knowledge has not been found on the S4RT E N G R A V IN G C O
T
IM E S B LD G W E A T T L l
Pacific Coast ’
other grasses are securely rooted.
Seeding Stump Grau
To Paitare
T
Guts* th a t Print*