PREPARING TO PLANT AND PLANTING 63 



However, the seed should be six weeks old before it is plant- 

 ed. Seed for the July and August planting should have 

 been planted in December and January to be of the proper 

 age. For good seed to plant in December and January, the 

 potatoes should have been planted in the latter part of March 

 or the first of April. To plant in March and the first of 

 April, the seed potatoes should have been planted the year 

 preceding. Potatoes may be forced to grow sooner, but by 

 forcing the growth the yield will be less than when they 

 have a longer rest period. They must have time to change 

 from starch to sugar. It is this chemical change that takes 

 place before the potato begins to grow. The bud-eye por- 

 tion of the potato develops a sprout sooner than the stem 

 end, as this change takes place more readily. The bud-eye 

 cluster or the blossom end of a potato develops quickly and 

 has more vitality, but the tubers produced from that end 

 are generally rough and are varied in size. The stem end 

 will produce more uniform potatoes. However, if a tuber is 

 diseased, this is the first to be affected. If an early crop of 

 potatoes is desired, the bud-end pieces may be used, as they 

 grow more rapidly. I have experimented by planting 

 pieces cut from the stem and blossom ends separately. I 

 find that those planted from the stem end become more uni- 

 form in size and shape from successive plantings.The longer 

 this practice is continued the more uniform these potatoes 

 become. The longer the bud-eye is planted the rougher the 

 tubers produced become. It is the center eye of this end 

 that finally causes the "running out" of the potato, and in 

 growing is the first eye to show, and is the first eye to grow 

 when planted. 



In the planting of seed potatoes, I would advise the 

 grower to avoid all planters that will bruise or cut them, as 



