1418 



POTATO 



gravy, and oaten meal. The composition of tlie i*otato 

 varies widely. Au uverago oE I'M analyses is as follows: 

 Water. Ash. .Protein. Starch. Fai. 

 « « « * * 



Potatoes 78 1 2.2 18 .1 



Oatmeal 7.9 2 U.7 (J7.4 7 1 



Graham Hour IJ.l 1.8 11.7 69.8 1.7 



The nutritive ratio of wheat is 1 to 5.37, almost per- 

 fect; thatof Potatoes 1 to 18.29, entirely too wide. Many 

 foods, in tliL-ir uuiiiral slate, as Potatoes, are more or 

 less diii. i. : I in i; ;tHi:il matter. Notable among these 

 are ri«r in i \ :i ilimr— the former containing but 



0.4 per I. i i iHir 0.5 per cent of ash. 



Nniw ii I 1 ill 1 ! _ r;ict that the Potato alone forms 



an uulj:>l;iiiii-a i.iiiuu. it is used more universally as a 

 food than any other esculent vegetable in localities 

 adapted to its growth. Potatoes contain a small amount 

 of a somewhat poisonous substance. When exposed to 

 the direct rays of the sun for some time and "greened," 

 the deleterious substance is so greatly increased that 

 the water in which they are boiled is not infrequently 

 used to destroy vermin ou domestic animals. In any 

 case the water in which Potatoes are cooked should not 

 be used in the preparation of other foods. 



There are many hundreil v.iriciies of Potatoes. New 

 Tarietiesare constantly supplanting tlie old ones. As 

 new varieties are usually produced under superior con- 

 ditions, when they are placed in field culture and under 

 more difficult conditions they tend to degenerate. Old 

 varieties which have "run out" often find their way into 

 a locality where conditions are superior. Here their 

 vahiable qualities may be restored or even increased, 

 and they are then generally reintroduced under a new 

 name (see Bailey, ".Survival of the Unlike," for discus- 

 sion of the running out of Potatoes). Usually new 

 varieties are secured from seeds, but the seeds of a 

 single ball cannot be depended upon to propagate the 

 parent type. The tubers of the most promising seed- 

 ling varieties are planted, placed under superior condi- 

 tions, and out of many hundred varieties tested, a 

 single one may Iprove to be worthy of introduction. 

 The world owes much to Rev. Chauncey E. Goodrich, of 

 Utiea, N. Y., for his painstaking efforts not only to im- 

 prove the Potato, but also for originating and introduc- 

 ing several valuable varieties. The acquired habit of 

 producing enlarged underground stems has been so 

 greatly accentuated that the normal tendency to pro- 

 duce seed-balls has been nearly obliterated, especially 

 in the early varieties. The Potato is sensitive to frost 

 and therefore must complete its growth in most locali- 

 ties in from three to six months. The period of devel- 

 opment may be shortened by exposing the seed Pota- 

 toes to the more or less direct rays of the sun in a tem- 

 perature of about 60° for one to two weeks before 



r^^'^ 



c 



Showing 



1929. Undereround 



The old seed-piece is : 



i of Potato plant. 



e stems ending in tubers. 



planting. Some of the starch is transformed into sugar, 

 which causes the eyes or buds to dfvelup into minia- 

 ture, short, toiio-b oljints or "rnsi 11- - ijinli iM^iiIt-s 



-ure, short, tough 

 when the Potato* 

 shortening the pi 

 Some varieties, v 

 rich, sandy soil 



POTATO 



weeks. In cutting Potatoes for planting, each eye shou.a 

 be supplied with an abundance of food to start the 

 young plants off vigorously: the pieces should be as 

 large as possible and yet not bear more than one or two 

 eyes (Pig. 1931). While the late varieties thrive best 

 in a moist, cloudy climate and in a rich, loamy soil, 

 I'otatoes may be successfully produced in light soils 



1930. Flowers and foliage 



and under cloudless skies. Dryish, sandy or sandy 

 loam soils not only produce earlier Potatoes than cold, 

 damp lands, but tubers of a better quality. "Mealy" 

 Potatoes contain less moisture than do those which 

 remain somewhat hard when cooked. Americans prefer 

 the former; most Europeans the latter. 



For market-gardening, varieties such as Early Rose 

 are planted 2 to 3 inches deep in dry, warm soils, as 

 soon as danger from frost has passed. Level tiUage is 

 practiced until the vines are nearly full grown, when 

 the rows are slightly hilled by passing an implement, 

 provided with a single large shovel with or without 

 wing-attachments, between the rows. A threefold ef- 

 fect is secured : weeds are destroyed ; the land is 

 raised into ridges, whereby the soil is made warmer and 

 drier, tiins inducing early fruitage ; the young Pota- 

 loc n i> III. > I III. ,1 from becoming green by exposure to 

 III! I .ally varieties have a tendency to set 



til ! Miiface. Sandy lands, which are well 



sur ii I' I I J riiily Potatoes, are too frequently de- 



Hi'ic lit in ; 1; 111 resort is had to either barn 



matmre .11 , ■ ilizers. The former, especially 



if not liil!. I ' i^is the tendency to produce 



rhile the use of chemical 

 .,11 ppvcentage of nitrogen 



rough 



?> 



produce meroh 



liberaldi-r ' i.i t..i- ,,.i ,. , i n :. -. ,,f 

 fate, 80 ill- ■■: !■ - .1 I .. .' ; ;i. . ,-r 

 acid pho^jiliiiii' im-l i:m )i,-, ,,| m, ,1 

 of potash. These would furnish 17, > I 

 and 75 lbs., respectively, of the pliinl 

 foods named. These concentrated fi i 

 tilizers should be thoroughly nii\' il 

 and incorporated witli tin- soil I.y p i~^ 

 ingasmallsingle-slM.v.1,.,1 plun :,l „ ,- 



the open marks ni;i.lr i.. i- i\. ih. i.ni 



seed Potatoes. M^irlM-t - -.■ndiiMis A good cuitme or 

 often use wood ashes at the rate of 50. seed-piece, 

 to 80 bushels per acre. 



Frequently a second crop follows the early Potatoes. 

 In any case a cover-crop (peas, clover or winter vetches) 

 should be sown after the Potatoes are dug if no second 

 harvest crop follows; if it does follow, then a cover- 

 crop may be sown at or .iust before the last inter-cul- 

 ture is given. In any case, provide some kind of a 

 cover-crop to digest the plant-food, to afford humus 

 and conserve nitrogen for succeeding 'crops, and to 

 cover the land during the rainy and cold winter periods 

 when the soil would otherwise be idle and losing 

 fertility. 



Late Potatoes are planted three or four weeks after 



