CHAPTER X 



TUBER CROPS 



Potato, Sweet Potato. 



THE tuber crops, as the term is understood in this 

 writing, are two, the common or Irish potato, and 

 the sweet potato. The former is staple in the North 

 and t-he latter in the South. The two are so unlike 

 that it is not expedient to endeavor to state principles 

 that shall apply to both. 



POTATO 



Deeply pulverized cool soil holding much capillary 

 moisture and rich in potash, deep and early planting, 

 level culture, frequent surface tillage to conserve moisture, 

 spraying to insure healthy foliage: these are requisites 

 of the best potato culture. The potato is propagated 

 by means of tubers. It thrives best in a relatively cool 

 climate: in the South, it is successful onlyas a spring 

 and fall crop, for the midsummer season is too continu- 

 ously hot. 



In most cases a heavy yield of potatoes is largely a 

 question of moisture. If planted late, the crop loses 

 the benefit of much of the winter precipitation, since the 

 moisture passes from the soil early in the season unless 

 the land receives frequent surface tillage. Planting on 



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