246 THE POTATO 



the crop is grown on ridges it is customary to have 

 the ridges from 36 to 42 inches apart from centre 

 to centre and to place the plants 14 to 18 inches 

 apart in the row. By this method an acre will 

 require from 8,000 to 12,500 plants. An acre of 

 good sweet potato land will readily support 9,000 

 to 11,000 plants, and the number most commonly 

 planted by the several methods will fall within 

 these figures. 



"The machine transplanters are provided with a 

 spacing device which indicates the distance be- 

 tween plants; also with a row marker to show the 

 location of the next row. 



"Where a few hundred plants are to be grown 

 for home use, or if only an acre or two are to be 

 planted, the hand method of planting will answer 

 every requirement. A trowel or a dibble is used 

 for opening the soil to receive the plant, and the 

 earth is closed about the roots by a second thrust 

 with the implement, or the heel of the shoe is used 

 to press the earth about the plant. For hand 

 planting, the plants are dropped ahead of the 

 'dibblers' by boys and girls. Seven thousand to 

 ten thousand plants, or an acre, is an excellent 

 day's work for a planter when everything is in good 

 condition. Where a few hundred plants are set 

 in the garden it is always desirable to water them 

 before closing the earth about the plant. 



"Under reasonably favorable conditions a ma- 

 chine will plant from three to four acres a day. In 

 addition to being labor savers, these machines do 

 the work better and more uniformly than it is or- 

 dinarily done by hand. The plants can be set 

 without the use of water, but the results are more 

 satisfactory where the water is used. 



"The methods of handling a crop of sweet pota- 



