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Show HARD TO IRRIGATE POTATOES Farmer Should Hailtatt Before En-taring En-taring Upon Bualnaia on Larga Scale Without Experience. Incidentally, potatoes are as dlfflcull a crop to raise by Irrigation aa thers la, and a man who ia considering go lng Into It on an extensive seals should consider very carefully tho risk that be Is running If he has not had previous experience with the part lcular crop. "Second growth" rendets potatoes unsalable, and at beat .th price received Is so variable from year to year that it Is much of a gambling proposition, even with an experienced grower, who only expects to make a profit by slicking to it year In and year out, taking tba yeara of high prices with the years of low prices. A potato plant fecda from the roots, and the tubera grow with nourishment secured from the roota and do not grow independently; that la to say, the potato ltseir does not take any nourishment from the boII, but secures se-cures Its nourishment from the root. How Important this fact is will appear, ap-pear, If you go Into potato growing, when you become worried, perhaps, as to whether or not you are getting a second growth on your potatoes, because be-cause this fact has an immediate bearing bear-ing on what causes this second growth. Many growers would tell you that second growth is caused by too much water, but I am firmly convinced convinc-ed that It la caused by too little water, and when the ground becomes dry the growth of the plant is suspended and tho tuber ceases Its process of continuous growth in every direction, and the starting or fixing process begins be-gins in the tuber preparatory to maturing. ma-turing. If the ground ever drtea out sufficiently to stop the continuous growth of the plant. It begins to mature. ma-ture. When a subsequent irrigation comes, there is a stimulation to start the plant growing again, and since it baa begun to mature, the tuber can not continue growing in every direction, direc-tion, but starts to grow out of one or more eyes and forms new potatoes which are attached to the main potato. |
