Champion Spud Grower Tells How He Does the Trick
A potato grower named Briggs said his success in obtaining bumper crops was due partly to mathematics and partly to scientific methods, after an acre chosen at random on his farm was dug in the presence of specialists from Pennsylvania State College, who called the yield a world's record. He described planting and spraying whenever the moment called for it, setting his hills and rows far closer together than the average farmer does, and said he cultivated the field five times.
Bloomsburg, Pa., Oct. 31. - (AP) - Ray Briggs, 24 year old champion potato grower, said today his success in obtaining bumper crops was due partly to mathematics and partly to scientific methods. Friday an acre selected at random on his Nescopeck farm, yielded 688 bushels, which specialists from Pennsylvania State College who witnessed the digging said was a world's record.
"When it is time to plant potatoes, I plant potatoes," Briggs said. "When it is time to spray, I spray, whether it is 3 o'clock in the morning or 6 o'clock at night. I set my hills 12 inches apart and allow but 24 inches between rows. The average farmer leaves 18 to 20 inches between hills and 38 inches between rows. My method gives me 2.27 times as many hills to the acre as the state average.
"Few farmers have the nerve to cultivate between rows so close together as mine. I cultivated the field five times and sprayed i 13 times."
Reproduced unchanged from Daily Kennebec Journal, November 1, 1926, page 1.
This text reflects the language, attitudes and errors of its time. A Century Late publishes it as a historical document.
Text: read from the Library of Congress scan by A Century Late, within the article boundaries of American Stories (Dell et al., 2023), DOI 10.57967/hf/0757.
Yesterday's paper
November 3, 1926. The original articles, with the text exactly as it appeared and scans of the original newspaper pages, from that day’s editions of the following publications:Douglas Daily Dispatch, Evening Star, The Indianapolis Times, Seward Daily Gateway, The Bismarck Tribune, Brownsville Herald, The Daily Worker, Spirit Of Jefferson, Daily Kennebec Journal, and Smyrna Times.
Receive the original news from the press of 100 years ago, daily, weekly or monthly. Subscribe by December 1, 2026 and get
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Today's paper
November 4, 1926. The original articles, with the text exactly as it appeared and scans of the original newspaper pages, from that day’s editions of the following publications:Imperial Valley Press, Askov American, The Wrangell Sentinel, The Indianapolis Times, New Britain Herald, Seward Daily Gateway, Evening Star, Fitzgerald Leader Enterprise And Press, and Daily Kennebec Journal.
You do.
Champion Spud Grower Tells How He Does the Trick
A potato grower named Briggs said his success in obtaining bumper crops was due partly to mathematics and partly to scientific methods, after an acre chosen at random on his farm was dug in the presence of specialists from Pennsylvania State College, who called the yield a world's record. He described planting and spraying whenever the moment called for it, setting his hills and rows far closer together than the average farmer does, and said he cultivated the field five times.
Bloomsburg, Pa., Oct. 31. - (AP) - Ray Briggs, 24 year old champion potato grower, said today his success in obtaining bumper crops was due partly to mathematics and partly to scientific methods. Friday an acre selected at random on his Nescopeck farm, yielded 688 bushels, which specialists from Pennsylvania State College who witnessed the digging said was a world's record.
"When it is time to plant potatoes, I plant potatoes," Briggs said. "When it is time to spray, I spray, whether it is 3 o'clock in the morning or 6 o'clock at night. I set my hills 12 inches apart and allow but 24 inches between rows. The average farmer leaves 18 to 20 inches between hills and 38 inches between rows. My method gives me 2.27 times as many hills to the acre as the state average.
"Few farmers have the nerve to cultivate between rows so close together as mine. I cultivated the field five times and sprayed i 13 times."
Reproduced unchanged from Daily Kennebec Journal, November 1, 1926, page 1.
This text reflects the language, attitudes and errors of its time. A Century Late publishes it as a historical document.
Text: read from the Library of Congress scan by A Century Late, within the article boundaries of American Stories (Dell et al., 2023), DOI 10.57967/hf/0757.
Reproduced unchanged from Daily Kennebec Journal, November 1, 1926, page 1.
This text reflects the language, attitudes and errors of its time. A Century Late publishes it as a historical document.
Text: read from the Library of Congress scan by A Century Late, within the article boundaries of American Stories (Dell et al., 2023), DOI 10.57967/hf/0757.
Yesterday's paper
November 3, 1926. The original articles, with the text exactly as it appeared and scans of the original newspaper pages, from that day’s editions of the following publications:Douglas Daily Dispatch, Evening Star, The Indianapolis Times, Seward Daily Gateway, The Bismarck Tribune, Brownsville Herald, The Daily Worker, Spirit Of Jefferson, Daily Kennebec Journal, and Smyrna Times.
Receive the original news from the press of 100 years ago, daily, weekly or monthly. Subscribe by December 1, 2026 and get
20% off for life!
Today's paper
November 4, 1926. The original articles, with the text exactly as it appeared and scans of the original newspaper pages, from that day’s editions of the following publications:Imperial Valley Press, Askov American, The Wrangell Sentinel, The Indianapolis Times, New Britain Herald, Seward Daily Gateway, Evening Star, Fitzgerald Leader Enterprise And Press, and Daily Kennebec Journal.
You do.
Champion Spud Grower Tells How He Does the Trick
A potato grower named Briggs said his success in obtaining bumper crops was due partly to mathematics and partly to scientific methods, after an acre chosen at random on his farm was dug in the presence of specialists from Pennsylvania State College, who called the yield a world's record. He described planting and spraying whenever the moment called for it, setting his hills and rows far closer together than the average farmer does, and said he cultivated the field five times.
Bloomsburg, Pa., Oct. 31. - (AP) - Ray Briggs, 24 year old champion potato grower, said today his success in obtaining bumper crops was due partly to mathematics and partly to scientific methods. Friday an acre selected at random on his Nescopeck farm, yielded 688 bushels, which specialists from Pennsylvania State College who witnessed the digging said was a world's record.
"When it is time to plant potatoes, I plant potatoes," Briggs said. "When it is time to spray, I spray, whether it is 3 o'clock in the morning or 6 o'clock at night. I set my hills 12 inches apart and allow but 24 inches between rows. The average farmer leaves 18 to 20 inches between hills and 38 inches between rows. My method gives me 2.27 times as many hills to the acre as the state average.
"Few farmers have the nerve to cultivate between rows so close together as mine. I cultivated the field five times and sprayed i 13 times."
Reproduced unchanged from Daily Kennebec Journal, November 1, 1926, page 1.
This text reflects the language, attitudes and errors of its time. A Century Late publishes it as a historical document.
Text: read from the Library of Congress scan by A Century Late, within the article boundaries of American Stories (Dell et al., 2023), DOI 10.57967/hf/0757.
Reproduced unchanged from Daily Kennebec Journal, November 1, 1926, page 1.
This text reflects the language, attitudes and errors of its time. A Century Late publishes it as a historical document.
Text: read from the Library of Congress scan by A Century Late, within the article boundaries of American Stories (Dell et al., 2023), DOI 10.57967/hf/0757.
Yesterday's paper
November 3, 1926. The original articles, with the text exactly as it appeared and scans of the original newspaper pages, from that day’s editions of the following publications:Douglas Daily Dispatch, Evening Star, The Indianapolis Times, Seward Daily Gateway, The Bismarck Tribune, Brownsville Herald, The Daily Worker, Spirit Of Jefferson, Daily Kennebec Journal, and Smyrna Times.
Receive the original news from the press of 100 years ago, daily, weekly or monthly. Subscribe by December 1, 2026 and get
20% off for life!
Today's paper
November 4, 1926. The original articles, with the text exactly as it appeared and scans of the original newspaper pages, from that day’s editions of the following publications:Imperial Valley Press, Askov American, The Wrangell Sentinel, The Indianapolis Times, New Britain Herald, Seward Daily Gateway, Evening Star, Fitzgerald Leader Enterprise And Press, and Daily Kennebec Journal.
You do.
Champion Spud Grower Tells How He Does the Trick
A potato grower named Briggs said his success in obtaining bumper crops was due partly to mathematics and partly to scientific methods, after an acre chosen at random on his farm was dug in the presence of specialists from Pennsylvania State College, who called the yield a world's record. He described planting and spraying whenever the moment called for it, setting his hills and rows far closer together than the average farmer does, and said he cultivated the field five times.
Bloomsburg, Pa., Oct. 31. - (AP) - Ray Briggs, 24 year old champion potato grower, said today his success in obtaining bumper crops was due partly to mathematics and partly to scientific methods. Friday an acre selected at random on his Nescopeck farm, yielded 688 bushels, which specialists from Pennsylvania State College who witnessed the digging said was a world's record.
"When it is time to plant potatoes, I plant potatoes," Briggs said. "When it is time to spray, I spray, whether it is 3 o'clock in the morning or 6 o'clock at night. I set my hills 12 inches apart and allow but 24 inches between rows. The average farmer leaves 18 to 20 inches between hills and 38 inches between rows. My method gives me 2.27 times as many hills to the acre as the state average.
"Few farmers have the nerve to cultivate between rows so close together as mine. I cultivated the field five times and sprayed i 13 times."
Reproduced unchanged from Daily Kennebec Journal, November 1, 1926, page 1.
This text reflects the language, attitudes and errors of its time. A Century Late publishes it as a historical document.
Text: read from the Library of Congress scan by A Century Late, within the article boundaries of American Stories (Dell et al., 2023), DOI 10.57967/hf/0757.
Reproduced unchanged from Daily Kennebec Journal, November 1, 1926, page 1.
This text reflects the language, attitudes and errors of its time. A Century Late publishes it as a historical document.
Text: read from the Library of Congress scan by A Century Late, within the article boundaries of American Stories (Dell et al., 2023), DOI 10.57967/hf/0757.
Yesterday's paper
November 3, 1926. The original articles, with the text exactly as it appeared and scans of the original newspaper pages, from that day’s editions of the following publications:Douglas Daily Dispatch, Evening Star, The Indianapolis Times, Seward Daily Gateway, The Bismarck Tribune, Brownsville Herald, The Daily Worker, Spirit Of Jefferson, Daily Kennebec Journal, and Smyrna Times.
Receive the original news from the press of 100 years ago, daily, weekly or monthly. Subscribe by December 1, 2026 and get
20% off for life!
Today's paper
November 4, 1926. The original articles, with the text exactly as it appeared and scans of the original newspaper pages, from that day’s editions of the following publications:Imperial Valley Press, Askov American, The Wrangell Sentinel, The Indianapolis Times, New Britain Herald, Seward Daily Gateway, Evening Star, Fitzgerald Leader Enterprise And Press, and Daily Kennebec Journal.
You do.
Champion Spud Grower Tells How He Does the Trick
A potato grower named Briggs said his success in obtaining bumper crops was due partly to mathematics and partly to scientific methods, after an acre chosen at random on his farm was dug in the presence of specialists from Pennsylvania State College, who called the yield a world's record. He described planting and spraying whenever the moment called for it, setting his hills and rows far closer together than the average farmer does, and said he cultivated the field five times.
Bloomsburg, Pa., Oct. 31. - (AP) - Ray Briggs, 24 year old champion potato grower, said today his success in obtaining bumper crops was due partly to mathematics and partly to scientific methods. Friday an acre selected at random on his Nescopeck farm, yielded 688 bushels, which specialists from Pennsylvania State College who witnessed the digging said was a world's record.
"When it is time to plant potatoes, I plant potatoes," Briggs said. "When it is time to spray, I spray, whether it is 3 o'clock in the morning or 6 o'clock at night. I set my hills 12 inches apart and allow but 24 inches between rows. The average farmer leaves 18 to 20 inches between hills and 38 inches between rows. My method gives me 2.27 times as many hills to the acre as the state average.
"Few farmers have the nerve to cultivate between rows so close together as mine. I cultivated the field five times and sprayed i 13 times."
Reproduced unchanged from Daily Kennebec Journal, November 1, 1926, page 1.
This text reflects the language, attitudes and errors of its time. A Century Late publishes it as a historical document.
Text: read from the Library of Congress scan by A Century Late, within the article boundaries of American Stories (Dell et al., 2023), DOI 10.57967/hf/0757.
Reproduced unchanged from Daily Kennebec Journal, November 1, 1926, page 1.
This text reflects the language, attitudes and errors of its time. A Century Late publishes it as a historical document.
Text: read from the Library of Congress scan by A Century Late, within the article boundaries of American Stories (Dell et al., 2023), DOI 10.57967/hf/0757.
Yesterday's paper
November 3, 1926. The original articles, with the text exactly as it appeared and scans of the original newspaper pages, from that day’s editions of the following publications:Douglas Daily Dispatch, Evening Star, The Indianapolis Times, Seward Daily Gateway, The Bismarck Tribune, Brownsville Herald, The Daily Worker, Spirit Of Jefferson, Daily Kennebec Journal, and Smyrna Times.
Receive the original news from the press of 100 years ago, daily, weekly or monthly. Subscribe by December 1, 2026 and get
20% off for life!
Today's paper
November 4, 1926. The original articles, with the text exactly as it appeared and scans of the original newspaper pages, from that day’s editions of the following publications:Imperial Valley Press, Askov American, The Wrangell Sentinel, The Indianapolis Times, New Britain Herald, Seward Daily Gateway, Evening Star, Fitzgerald Leader Enterprise And Press, and Daily Kennebec Journal.