THE POTATO 



and lessens the danger of breaking off the sprouts 

 when transferring to the field for planting." 



Where it is desired to grow potatoes on heavy 

 lands or without cultivation they are sometimes 

 planted under straw. 



In a Nebraska Experiment Station publica- 

 tion R. A. Emerson says: 



" Potatoes are a cool weather crop. It is because 

 of this that they succeed so well in the far north. 

 Moreover, potatoes require for their best develop- 

 ment fairly uniform conditions, especially as re- 

 gards soil moisture and soil temperature. This 

 being the case, why should not potatoes grown 

 under a litter mulch be especially well developed 

 and therefore make strong seed? The soil be- 

 neath a mulch not only has a moderately low 

 temperature during summer, but its temperature 

 is also exceptionally uniform, varying not more 

 than a degree or two between day and night and 

 only a few degrees from day to day. The soil 

 moisture beneath a good mulch is also more 

 abundant and much more nearly uniform in 

 amount than in case of bare ground, even though 

 the latter is given good tillage. 



"The value for seed purposes of tubers grown 

 under a little mulch has been tested during two 

 seasons at the experiment (Nebraska) station. 

 In 1904 a plat of potatoes was mulched with straw 

 and an adjoining plat was given careful culti- 

 vation. The soil of the two plats was practically 

 uniform and the seed planted on the two plats was 

 taken from the same lot of tubers. Seed was 

 saved from the mulched and cultivated plats sep- 

 arately, kept under the same conditions during 



