408 FIELD CROPS 



knives so arranged that a potato laid on top of the knives 

 and pushed down over them will cut in pieces of about the 

 right size. Occasionally pieces without eyes may be cut 

 by this method, but so seldom that machine cutting is entirely 

 satisfactory. When potatoes are grown on a small scale, 

 they are usually cut by hand with a knife. 



55 i. Planting. The most common method of planting 

 potatoes is in drills from 3 feet to 33/^ feet apart, with one 

 seed piece dropped at intervals of from 14 to 20 inches. 

 Planting in this way requires about 10 to 12 bushels of pota- 

 toes to the acre. 



The time of planting naturally varies with the location. 

 In the Northern states, potatoes for early market are planted 

 as soon as the ground can be put in good condition in the 

 spring. The later crop is planted at any time in May, and 

 sometimes as late as June 15. Farther south, the planting 

 may be done at any time from January to the first of April. 

 Where two crop» a year are grown, one is usually planted 

 in January or February, and the second in July or August. 



The depth of planting will vary with the soil and kind of 

 cultivation to be given. On the lighter soils, potatoes are 

 commonly planted from 4 to 5 inches deep and given level 

 cultivation. On heavier soils, especially where the land is 

 a little too wet, they are planted more shallow and are hilled. 



Where potatoes are grown on a small scale, as for home 

 consumption, they are usually planted by opening furrows 

 with a common plow or with a winged shovel. The seed 

 pieces are dropped in these furrows by hand, and covered 

 \vith the harrow or the sulky cultivator. Where a large 

 acreage is to be grown, a potato planter is commonly used. 

 Some of these machines are supplied with pickers that pick 

 up the seed pieces and drop them at regular intervals. This 

 type may be operated by one man. Another type is known 

 as the two-man potato planter; this requires a driver and 

 an additional man or boy to help in feeding to regulate the 



