THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 337 



the fields instead of the product to the market. The exchange be- 

 comes the farmer's commission house, and it is much easier to keep 

 informed regarding the transactions of a home association than of a 

 foreign concern. 



Varieties. The following are among the most widely known 

 varieties: Early, Early Ohio, Early Rose, Beauty of Hebron, and 

 Triumph. Medium and late, Burbank, Rural New Yorker No. 2, 

 Empire State, Mammoth Pearl, White Star, and Dakota Red. These 

 are standard varieties, and though not necessarily the best, they seem 

 to have given general satisfaction. 



Second-Crop Potatoes for Seed at the South. Within recent 

 years there has been a marked increase in the use of second crop 

 potatoes for seed throughout the southern potato-growing sections. 

 This crop is frequently grown on the same land from which the 

 first crop of potatoes was harvested. In most instances, however, 

 it follows beans or cucumbers, as the seed for this second potato crop 

 is not usually planted until July or August. The seed for this crop 

 is, as a rule, saved from the early crop, the small tubers being stored 

 in a well-ventilated shed, where they are protected from the direct 

 action of the sun and from storms until about ten days or two weeks 

 before the time of planting, when they are spread thinly upon the 

 ground and lightly covered with straw or litter to partially protect 

 them from the sun. Under these conditions the tubers quickly 

 "green" and all those suitable for seed will develop sprouts. As soon 

 as the sprouts are visible, and before they are large enough to be 

 rubbed off in handling, the potatoes are ready to plant. The 

 product of this planting gives a crop of partially matured tubers 

 which are held over winter for spring planting. This practice gives 

 excellent results in many localities and is found to be more econom- 

 ical than the purchase of northern-grown seed. To what extent it 

 is safe to follow this practice without renewing the seed from the 

 North by the use of fully matured tubers has not been determined. 

 Those following the method should carefully observe the quality and 

 yield of the crop for the purpose of determining whether or not it is 

 deteriorating under this treatment. In general, it is believed that 

 it will be within the limits of good practice to secure every second 

 or third year enough northern-grown seed to supply seed for the 

 second crop ; in fact, some of the most successful growers of potatoes 

 who use second-crop seed get enough northern-grown seed each year 

 to supply planting material for the second crop. In this practice 

 it will be economy to err on the side of safety and obtain fresh seed 

 frequently from reliable northern sources. In a majority of 

 instances it is found that second-crop home-grown seed is slower to 

 germinate and later in maturity than northern-grown seed, and as 

 quick development is an important element in the crop at the South, 

 growers are urged to consider this point carefully. 



Held-over Seed. The consensus of opinion is that in southern 

 localities it is impracticable to keep early potatoes from harvest time 

 to the next season's planting period. The conclusions of those who 

 have given this problem careful study are that the exposure of tho 



