448 THE POTATO 



the handling in planting. The potatoes in the 

 trays are hauled into the field and dropped by 

 hand by women and boys. This method hastens 

 the crop fully two weeks at both ends of the growing 

 season. It makes it possible to delay planting un- 

 til the soil is warm, and danger of rotting in cold 

 soil is passed. This can be done with no loss in 

 earliness. The seed is never cut, always planted 

 whole. 



Mr. Wallace uses 2,400 pounds of seed to the 

 acre. After this year he expects to use larger 

 seed than ever before. I saw on this farm one 

 twenty-acre field on which was planted five thou- 

 sand pounds per acre. The potatoes used were 

 as large as a man's hand. This large seed was 

 used this year because the market price of com- 

 mercial potatoes was very low. He thinks it 

 will make more net money than any acre of po- 

 tatoes on his farm this year. They were planted 

 next to potatoes where the ordinary amount and 

 size of seed was used with the same soil conditions 

 and culture. The result in the growth of the two 

 crops was very striking and in favor of the large 

 sets. The tops averaged fully 40 per cent, 

 better than the potatoes from the ordinary seed 

 size, and the yield should be correspondingly 

 great. 



In growing early potatoes they are very partic- 

 ular never to disturb or break the first sprouts off, 

 or, as some say, to disturb the first intention of the 

 potato to reproduce itself. When not disturbed 

 or broken only one or two sprouts develop. When 

 it is desired to propagate a great many plants from 

 high priced seed, the potato is allowed to put forth 

 sprouts about one half inch long from the seed end. 

 Then the sprout is broken off. The result is that 



