OCR Text |
Show GROWING AND CULTIVATING POTATOES POTATOES ARE YEARLY BECOMING A MORE, IMPORTANT CROP IN ALL SECTIONS SEC-TIONS OF THE COUNTRY, BUT PARTICULARLY SO IN THE VICINITY OF THE LARGE MARKETS. A sandy loam soli usually produces potatoes of bolter quality than a heavier heav-ier soil does. It also has the advantage advan-tage of remaining in a moro mellow condition during the growing season, thus giving tho tubors a chance to bc-como bc-como more shapely, and making It easier to dig tho crop. A heavior soil will sometimes produce a larger yield because It is often more fertile, but brown rot of the tubers is apt to be worse on such soils. Soil which has produced a scabby crop of potatoes shoilld be avoided, because the scab spores livo over in the soil, and will cause, more or less scab on the tubers for Jive or six years afterward. Potatoes grow well on any slope, but a northern slope Is most desirable, becauso on it the crop will suffer less during hot, dry wcathor. Good drainage Is important. Potatoes Pota-toes will stand less cxcoes of moisturo than other common farm crops, and artificial drainage should bo provided wherever natural drainage Is at all deficient Potatoes rot more in low, w t land than In well drained upland in years when rot occurs. Tho same is true of heavy soils compared with light soils, which Is becauso heavy soils do not part with their oxcess moisture as rapidly as light soils do. No best timo for planting can be given that will fit every year. If a dry spell occurs early In the season, and Is followed by plenty of rain, lato planted potatoes yield tho best, while on the other hand, when a dry spell occurs in the latter hrlf of the growing grow-ing seaton, early planted potatoes do best. A number of machines for cutting seed arc available on the market. One trouble with most of thorn is that they loavo pieces without eyes. A rapid method of cutting seed potatoes po-tatoes by hand is to stick a sharp Seed-potato cutter. A convenient potato hopper with lwards and knives fas-tcncd In them for cutting seed potatoes. knifo firmly Into a board and cut tho tubers by pushing thorn against tho knife. This enables tho use of both hands on tho tubers. When using the knife in tho hand for cutting seed potatoes, tho best method of cutting Is to begin at the slom ond of the tuber and cut pieces off diagonally, turning the tuber on its axis as necessary neces-sary with tho cutting of each piece an tho vvork progresses toward' the other end, nnd when tho .ecd end'ls reached cut it in two, so as to divide the extra number of eyes thcro found. In planting potatoes in large quantities quan-tities a tremendous ambuut of time and hard work can bo savcdby the use of a machine. It plants the potatoes pota-toes at a uniform depth and covers them evenly, thus insuring a better 54 "?'5s ffiSy Potato marked to ,liow how it should bo cut by hand, and the Individual Indi-vidual pieces or another tuber cut In same manner. AJfUT inn r-r r-rvtxT7j?txgy.L yffli8hiasJ " w Racks showing how seed potatoes may be stored In a small space. stand. Largo numbers of these machines ma-chines aro now in uso, and as thoy aro made of various bIzcs. tho cost Is within tho reach of the average farmer. A handy Implement for covering cov-ering tho potatoes may bo mado of inch boards eight Inches wido and 2 V4 feet long. It has a cross-bar of 2x4x2 feet long at tho front end and one foot at the rear. A small chain Is attached to tho front of the runners for drawing with a horse. Old plow handles guide it. Sg simple an implc-mpnt implc-mpnt can be made by even an inexperienced inexper-ienced hand. Klovcn bushels is a more profitable quantity of seed potatoes to uso per acre than five or eight bushels. Potatoes affected with brown rot should not be used for planting. Potato growers should follow a system of rotation in which the potatoes pota-toes follow clover. They should also pay moro attention to potato culture In all Its stages. - Potato growers can Improve their "seed" stock by proper selection of potatoes for planting. The most' practicable insecticide for tho potato beetle Is Paris green. It should be used at tho rato of not less than one pound per aero for each application. Most farmers do not cultivate their potatoes tho most profitable number of times. It must bo remembered that tho potato crop suffers readily from drought, and that frequent cultivation Is practically the only means by which the moisture can be conserved. con-served. Frequent cultivation also sets frco much plant food that would otherwise remain locked up in the soil. Potatoes should be cultivated culti-vated once 'a week from the time tho rows can 1 o followed until the cultivator culti-vator wheels injure the plants. A potato coicrcr. A potato planicr. |