Potato Culture Under Irrigation by William Stuart, C. F. Clark and George W. Dewey is a United States Department of Agriculture guide to producing potatoes on irrigated land. This copy is Farmers’ Bulletin No. 953, first issued in June 1918 and revised in November 1922.
Written for irrigated districts
The bulletin explains that expanding irrigation projects created demand for guidance suited to western potato production. It names states from Arizona and California to Washington and Wyoming as the main area to which its information applies.
The authors explicitly recognize that practices are not identical throughout that area. They distinguish, for example, the peat and tule delta lands of California from other irrigated districts. That qualification is central to reading the recommendations accurately.
A table based on the 1919 crop compares acreage, production and average yields on irrigated and nonirrigated land. It supplies historical context for the industry discussed in the text, rather than a forecast of what another farm should produce.
Soil preparation and varieties
The early sections address suitable soils, preparation of the ground and the choice between fall and spring plowing. The discussion connects drainage, organic matter and the physical condition of the soil with the preparation of a potato field.
Varieties are considered in relation to place and market requirements. The authors describe the limited set of varieties commonly grown commercially in particular sections, illustrating why a name successful in one district might not be the default in another.
For readers studying regional agriculture, these passages are useful evidence of how crop choice and land preparation were linked. They also establish the setting for the later discussion of cultivation and water.
Planting stock and cutting seed
Seed receives close attention. The bulletin compares whole and cut tubers, then describes cutting, cutting devices and the care of freshly cut seed. Photographs illustrate tubers and the kinds of pieces being discussed.
The text treats the quality of planting stock as more than a question of quantity. Its discussion includes variety identity, mixtures and disease. A separate later section returns to seed selection and the seed plat.
These sections make the bulletin useful as a historical record of planting-stock management. They show the sequence of decisions between a stored tuber and the planted crop, including handling that can be overlooked in a broad account of potato growing.
Cultivation, irrigation and rotation
Planting and cultivation lead into the irrigation section. The authors discuss water as one part of a production system that also depends on soil condition, field arrangement and the stage of the crop.
Crop rotation receives its own section. Placing it beside irrigation helps explain that supplying water alone does not account for the whole management of a potato field. The bulletin is organized around connected operations rather than a single isolated technique.
For a self-sufficiency collection, its strongest use is as a period reference for understanding those relationships. Its recommendations reflect the regions, equipment and knowledge of the revised 1922 edition.
Pests, selection and the harvested crop
The contents distinguish insect and eelworm parasites from fungous diseases. These pages preserve historical descriptions and control practices. They should be interpreted with their date in mind and compared with current local guidance before practical application.
Seed selection, hill selection and immature seed follow. The bulletin then turns to harvesting, storage and marketing, carrying the discussion from field preparation through to the sale or retention of the crop.
This end-to-end scope is useful for readers researching old farm systems. It connects choices made for the next planting season with the lifting and storage of the present harvest.
Audience and scan
This free ebook suits agricultural historians, gardeners exploring irrigation literature and readers studying western potato production. It is a compact historical guide, with illustrations and a clearly divided contents list.
The PDF contains 24 digital pages. The scan includes the original photographic cover, tables and text illustrations. Enlarge small figures and captions when comparing details. Printed pagination begins within the booklet, so it differs from the PDF page position.
Book details
- Author: William Stuart, C. F. Clark, and George W. Dewey
- Publisher: United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
- Year: 1922
- Edition: Farmers’ Bulletin No. 953; issued June 1918, revised November 1922
- Digital length: 24 PDF pages
- Language: English
- File size: 1.07 MB
