CULTIVATED CROPS 



89 



a comparatively large income per acre is raised, one can 

 afford to put more expense on fertilizing or preparing the 

 soil or on other operations, as cultivating, etc., than when 

 crops yielding less in money value are grown. 



Varieties. — The United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture, Bulletin 176 (William Stuart), classifies the varieties 

 as follows : Early : Cobbler, Triumph, Early Michigan, Rose, 

 Early Ohio, Hebron. Late: Burbank, Green Mountain, 

 Rural, Pearl, Peachblow. 



Seed. — About ten bushels of seed potatoes are required 

 to plant an acre. The best seed potatoes are secured by 

 selecting them from hills in which there are large numbers 

 of uniform and desirable potatoes, rather than from hills 

 with some large and some small ones. See Figure 39. Of 

 course such selection cannot be made in the spring. So, 

 if one did not make the selection in the fall at digging time, 



Figure 37. — A potato field. Note weedless, straight rows. 



the next best thing is to select good, smooth, uniform, 

 shallow-eyed potatoes from the stock at hand. 



Prevent Seed from Sprouting.— Potatoes are likely to 

 begin to sprout as soon as the weather gets warm. This 

 sprouting is undesirable, as the sprouts take nourishment 

 which should be saved to nourish the young plant when 

 started in the field. Keep the seed in as cool a place as 



