THE POTATO 87 



portant are the selection, the preparation of the 

 soil, including application of fertilizer; the seed and 

 the care of the crop during the growing season. 



"A soil to grow potatoes well must be in an 

 excellent state of tilth, sufficiently mellow to make 

 a good seed bed and place for the tubers to develop. 

 Abundant plant food must be supplied, and the 

 land must be so situated that it will not suffer from 

 excessive rain and will be well adapted to stand 

 drought. If not naturally well drained, it must be 

 under-drained. If it is not of good water-holding 

 capacity, this must be secured by increasing the 

 humus by green manuring or the use of liberal 

 quantities of stable manure. 



"There is no farm crop that is more easily, 

 speedily and greatly affected by the supply of 

 moisture than is the potato. It has been found by 

 experiment that it takes about 425 tons of water to 

 grow a ton of dry matter of potatoes. A crop of 

 200 bushes per acre would therefore require approx- 

 imately 650 tons of water, equivalent to a rainfall 

 of nearly six inches. Because of its need for large 

 water supply, and its remarkable susceptibility to 

 climatic conditions, it follows that the average 

 potato yield is affected more by water supply than 

 by lack of plant food. The selection of soil and 

 methods of culture must be with this fact in view, 

 if success is to be had. The liberal applications of 

 fertilizers or the presence of large amounts of 

 readily available plant food will prove of but little 

 value if the moisture supply is deficient. It is also 

 true that too much water will check the growth as 

 quickly and effectually as too little. 



"Too much attention to the fitting of the soil 

 for the crop can hardly be given, for no amount of 

 after tillage can overcome neglect in preparation. 



