THE VEGETABLE GABDEN 287 



keep them in a moist, warm place. The pieces may 

 also be packed close together in plots. Place an inch of 

 compost in the plot and put on a layer of sand an inch 

 deep. Pack the potatoes in the sand and cover them. 

 Potatoes planted the fifteenth of March will have formed 

 strong roots and stems by the middle of April. If a cold 

 frame is placed over the plots, the plants will grow more 

 rapidly. 



Digging and storing. Dig potatoes as soon as the vines 

 are dried, or let them remain in the ground until fall if 

 the soil is dry. Do not let them lie on the ground in 

 the sun, for this will turn them green and injure their 

 flavor. Store them in barrels in a dry, cool cellar, and 

 keep them away from a freezing temperature. 



Diseases. Potato blight may be prevented by spray- 

 ing with Bordeaux mixture, beginning treatment when 

 the plants are about six inches high. To prevent scab, 

 rotate the crop or soak the potatoes in formalin for two 

 hours just before cutting, using one ounce of formalin 

 to two gallons of water. Allow no treated tubers to 

 come in contact with bags or boxes where untreated ones 

 have been kept. 



Pests. For the Colorado beetle, commonly called the 

 potato bug, use one teaspoonful of Paris green in two 

 gallons of water. A teaspoonful of lime may be added 

 to increase the adhesive property of the Paris green ; 

 this also prevents the poison from burning the leaves. 

 Apply the mixture with a common garden sprinkler 

 or with a spray pump. A tablespoonful of arsenate of 



