Potatoes 203 



North, cut pieces are satisfactory; in the South, small whole 

 seed potatoes seem, as a rule, to give better results. This is 

 true in the South because the crop, if early, is planted on 

 cold ground, and under these conditions the cut seed is likely 

 to rot. Still, cut seed pieces are often planted with good 

 results. 



Depth of planting. Rather deep planting, from four to six 

 inches, is advisable under most conditions. If seed are planted 



FIG. 88. Potato-planter a labor-saving implement. 



too shallow, the tubers form near the surface and many are 

 likely to become sunburned by exposure. Moreover deep 

 planting usually gives better yields than shallow planting. 

 In some sections shallow planting is practiced and, as the 

 plants grow, the earth is ridged up over the roots and tubers. 

 Figure 88 shows a much used type of potato-planter. Such 

 machines are effective labor-savers and are practicable when 

 large areas are planted. 



113. Cultivating the potato fields. Cultivation is one of 

 the important factors in white-potato growing. If weeds 

 appear on the ground or a crust has formed on the soil, a har- 



