HASTENING MATURITY IN POTATOES. 119 



open furrow about six inches deep should be used. Some fertilizer 

 should be thoroughly mixed with the soil at the bottom of the fur- 

 row, which process will fill it up one or two inches. We are now 

 ready to put in the tubers. The trays should be taken from the rack 

 and carried to the field in a spring wagon, so as not to break the 

 buds by rough jolting. At the field the most convenient way is to 

 place a rack on a wheelbarrow and run it along between the rows. 

 Two persons can work together at setting the tubers, one on each 

 side of the barrow. Each should be provided with a thin-bladed 

 knife, and when a tuber has two good buds it is divided as equally 

 as possible without injury to the buds and the pieces immediately 

 and carefully placed in the bottom of the furrow, the buds pointing 

 upward. When there is onlj^ a single well-developed bud, the tuber 

 is planted whole. Earth to cover them is drawn into the furrow 

 with a hand hoe. If the weather is cold and frost is likely to appear, 

 cover them evenly with about two inches of earth, but if the weather 

 is mild and all danger of frost is past, the tips of the buds may be 

 left at the surface, when in a few days they will make quite a leaf 

 growth. Potatoes may be protected from frost at any time by simply 

 covering them with fine earth. Sonae years ago, in a southern state* 

 we saw two acres, averaging three or four inches in height, saved 

 from destruction by frost in the following way: A light furrow was 

 turned directly upon the vines of each row, covering them entirely 

 from sight. Next morning the ground was white with frost, and 

 potato vines unprotected were killed. During the day the temper- 

 ature rose, and the vines were quickly uncovered by the 'help,' 

 using the hands only. Very few vines were broken, and the whole 

 operation was the equivalent of one hoeing." 



The results in the cultivation of budded and not budded potatoes, 

 under exactly the same conditions, at the end of eighty-nine da3^s 

 (July 29), showed a yield of 151.19 bu. for the former and 118.88 bu. 

 for the latter, and at the end of one hundred and eleven days 190.98 

 bu. for the former and 136.35 bu. for the latter. 



"A little more time is consumed in planting the budded tubers, as 

 they require more careful handling in order that the buds may not 

 be broken off. It is best to take them directly from the trays and 

 place them in position in the furrow, cutting them when necessary. 

 In this experiment each budded tuber was cut once in order that the 

 same quantity of ' seed ' should be used in the same number of hills 

 as in the case of the dormant seed tubers. In ordinary practice, 

 however, tubers which start but one well-developed bud are not cut 

 but planted whole; hence rather more "seed" per acre is re([uired 

 for budding than for planting in the ordinary way or 'sprouting' 

 in cold frames, but as the 'seed' for this purpose is of a size hardly 

 salable the expense is in reality less. The time required for placing 

 the tubers in the trays is of some value, but leas important because 

 the work can be done in stormj'- weather or at times when regular 

 work would be impossible. The larger yield obtained this season 

 by budding would amply repay the extra work involved by this 

 method of hastening maturity." 



