CHAPTER XVII 



THE IRISH POTATO CROP 



IN nearly every section of the country the crop of 

 Irish potatoes has become one of the leading farm 

 crops, and the production of early potatoes for the 

 northern markets has developed into one of the leading 

 interests with the southern market gardeners. 



Hence, the main or late crop of potatoes comes into the 

 regular crop rotation in the Middle and Northern States, 

 while the early crop is interesting mainly to the truckers 

 or market gardeners in the South. Therefore, in any 

 improving farm crop rotation in the North the potato 

 crop can be made one of the leading sources of income 

 along with the corn crop. Of the potato crop thus con- 

 sidered we will treat later in this chapter. 



In the South, especially in the South 



The Early Atlantic Coast States, from the southern 

 Potato Crop in . <• , ^ i i , -, i^t • i 



the South section of Maryland southward to Florida, 



the production of the early potato crop in 

 succession as the season moves northward, has become of 

 vast importance and the selection of seed and the vari- 

 eties best adapted to their use are matters 

 The Seed ^j ^j^^j interest to thousands of growers. 



Potatoes for ^ , ^ , , - , ,^ r 



the South In th^ first development of the culture of 



the early potato crop in the South it was 

 thought essential that seed potatoes for their planting 

 should be grown in the North, and for years there was a 



235 



