338 Circular No. 5. 



at each end of the plats for turning room, making the total length 

 of the potato rows 223^ feet, so that during tillage that portion 

 which is to enter into the experiment will not be injured by the 

 tramping of horses in turning. At time of digging, eight feet 

 at each end and the extra rows planted between plats (indicated 

 in diagram by the solid black lines) should be dug and removed 

 before the experiment plats are harvested. 



After plowing the land this spring harrow thoroughly, break- 

 ing all clods and pulverizing the soil. Open the rows with a 

 shovel, plow or with a double moldboard plow. Cut the potatoes 

 so that there shall be one or two strong eyes to the piece, each 

 piece being of good size, and drop one piece to a place and 14 

 inches apart in the row. Cover with a hoe to the depth of about 

 four inches. The seed should be uniform and of the same va- 

 riety. If any traces of scab are present, the potatoes should be 

 soaked before cutting for one hour in solution of two ounces of 

 corrosive sublimate to thirteen gallons of water. This corrosive 

 sublimate is poison and should be handled with extreme care. 

 Prof. J. C. Arthur, of Purdue University Experiment Station, 

 Indiana, recommends for potato scab eight fluid ounces of Com- 

 mercial Formalin (which can be purchased at the drug store) to 

 fifteen gallons of water. Immerse the potatoes for two hours. 

 This is perfectly safe and said to be thoroughly efficient. Before 

 the potatoes are up, about one week after planting, thoroughly 

 harrow all plats with a spike tooth harrow. If a heavy rain 

 should come after this harrowing and before potatoes are up, 

 use the harrow again on all plats, breaking up the surface soil 

 crust. When potatoes are up so that the rows can be followed, 

 cultivate all plats with a fine tooth implement. A spring-tooth 

 cultivator does the work well. After this first tillage plat i is to 

 have but two more cultures, plat 2 five more and plat 3 eight 

 more. Repeat with plats 4, 5 and 6. All this is to be level cul- 

 ture and no hilling up. Plats will then receive tillage as follows : 



Plat I — 3 cultivations. Plat 4 — 3 cultivations. 



'* 2—6 •* " 5—6 



" 3—9 '* " 6—9 



