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Show EARLY POTATOES VERY IMPORTANT , 18 Some Essential Points in .Grow- IHB ing That Average Gardener BHI Is Apt to Overlook. II FOOD SUPPLY MUSTBEREAOY i. IH Good, Plump, Disease-Free 8eed and H Plenty of Fertilizer Are Essential i H Keep Dugs Off by Dust- H Ino or Spraying. flE Nj (PrcpAred by the United .fltatee Depart-, I H nient of Agriculture.) ' Uv IrUh potatoes nro. grown t,ln. most , H home guldens, but Uiero. aro just a . jflB few liolnts in tho potuto-growlng game jB llmt tho homo gardener is likely to fB overlook which aro very important. iflR Flirt of nil, potatocM grow quickly, and B their fond mipply must he all ready llB and waiting for them In tho soil. Soc- UB ond, tley aro heavy feeders and want H 'run to draw upon. p other words, B xo'.l for Irish potatoes must not flR ilj lw rich but It must ho rich in BBBj tliitil food of certain kinds. Land that BBBs viis well manured tho previous sea- BBBj mh and which contains plenty of or- ftVBs giinlc matter Is best; "Dio flrst'Btep BBf In preparing tho .soil will bo to spado bVBS or plow It In to, n depth of eight or BBf nliii) Inches, then break up tho clods, BBs if there bo any, and pulvcrlzo tho soil BBBt priictkally as deep as it Is spaded or bVBJJ BhBS How to Use Fertilizer. BBBj Common fertilizers glvo good ro- BBBj suits for growing potatoes, especially BBBs If the fertilizer contains potash, as po- BBBa tntoes require moro potash than is BBBJ usually present In tho soil, fertilizer BBBJ manufacturers mix special brands for BBBJ potutoos, and those 11 ro generally rath- BBBjf cr rich In potash. IIow much fcrtll- BBBf ler to use will depend upon tho fertll- BBBJ lty of (ho soli, but as a rulo eight BBBt pounds to each 300 feet of row will BBBt bo nbout right. A good way to op- BBBft ply tho fertilizer is to niako tho holes BBBt or burrows and drop the pieces of seed BBJB potato, cover them with an Inch or BnBt two of noil, then, scatter the fertilizer BsVJ along tho row bo that it will become BBBJ well mixed with i)io soli In completing BBBJ tlio covering of .tho seed. AnoUier BBBJ method 1m to scatter tho fertilizer In BBBj the furrow and mix It with the soil be BBBf fore dropping tho pieces of seed po-BB po-BB BBBj Best Kind of Seed. BBBj Small, shriveled, potatoes, loft In tho BBBJ bottom of U10 barrel at the end of win- BBBj tcr, arc not fit for seed. Only plump, BBBj disease-free potntocH, on which tho BBB sprouts nro beginning to start, should BBBJ' bo used for seed. Seed grown In VBJ Maine, rcw York, Mlchlgau, Wlscon-' BBBJ sin, or some other special seed produc- BBBJ tng section will as a rule glvo best ro- BBBJ suHb. S 'edsmen got tho seed potatoes Bfl potatoes Should Oe Cut Into Chunky BV Pieces With at Least One Eye to a BBb H shipped in by tho carload and then BBft sell them to gardancrs In small quan-BBS. quan-BBS. titles. It tnkes about ten bushols (000 BBb pounds) of seed, potatoes to plant an BBa ucre. Ono bushel of seed will plant BBS ono-tcnth of an acre, which Is a space BBS 43 feet wide by 100 feot long. A peck BBS of seed potatoes (10 pounds) should BBS plant 300 feet of row, each potato bo-BBS bo-BBS Ing cut Into chunky pieces having at BBS least one good cyo to a plcco. HB 8ce(l potnFoosJshould not ho cut un-BBS un-BBS til all ready to plant Whcnovcrsced BBfl. potatoes aro cut. and allowed to stand, Bfl '' the cut surfaces dry out, turn blnelf BBS and th seed loses vitality very rap-BBS, rap-BBS, idly. H nbby or diseased' seed pota-BBS pota-BBS toes should not bo used for planting. SB Tho variety of potatoes to plant will BBS depend largo1' upon locality, rlsh BBj Cobbler li ono, of tho Jonding early vu-BBf vu-BBf rlotles whllofRurul Nbvv Yorker, Early BB Ohio, THumfili, flrccu Mountain, and BB other nro growir extensively. Plant BBJ tho variety most coiumonly grown lu BH the locality, iiutibluro that the seed Bfl la free from dUoisQ und is lu good, BSj sound condition. B Do not plant potatoes v too deep, SB Four inrhosjls njiout tho proper depth. BS Lcuvo the surface almost (oral anil BY seo that there nro 110 clods, stones, or B pieces of sod directly, over the bills,, Br potatoes nro One' of tho first gardoa H crops to plant in tho springtime, and H It Is unfi to put tho seed in thofcound BK ! two or three "weeks boforu (ho date Bj of the last hcayy frost. In case there BS Is likely to ben freeze after tho plants H come up, cover ,theiu with un Inch or H two of I0030 earth to protect them. H4p They niny be uncovered ns soon as BJ tho weather wanns up or they come j up through the soil themselvos. ' |