POTATO 



the early ones and about two inches deeper. Inter-til- 

 lage should be given about every ten days, keeping the 

 ground practically level, and be continued late in the 

 season, that an earth-raulch'may be kept intact to con- 

 serve moisture during the hot, dry period when the 

 young tubers are forming. Three to four tillings may 

 suffice for early Potatoes, six to seven for late varieties. 



The yield per acre of Potatoes in the United States is 

 meager, 88.6 bus. being the average for 1899. Under 

 favorable soil and climatic conditions, with rational 

 methods of procedure, 200 to 400 bus. are not uncom- 

 mon, and under superior conditions more than 1,000 

 bus. per acre have been secured. H. C. Pierson, of Pit- 

 cairn, N. Y.,won first prize for the largest amount of 



ingle I 

 ng them in the 

 little time re-di- 

 luny plants were 



lbs. of Potatoes 

 •ing an increase 



VnnYan.N.Y., 

 ecured, by sirai- 

 .spei-tively. The 

 e ravages of the 

 ■b, niicont rolled, 



Potatoes grown from one poui 



son. By dividing the eyes and pla 



greenhouse in the winter, and after 



viding them, and this c liinir.l uni i 



.secured, he was enabhcl iw lai-r _. 



in the open from one v"'!"'! "i -^ ' 



of more than2, 500 fold. .\^ I'. K'u^.-. 

 and C. F. Thompson, of h.i-, .N'. H. 

 lar methods, 2,349 lbs. and :i, 118 lbs 

 low average yield is due. in part, to 

 many enemies of the Pntiitu plant, m 

 sometimes destroy the ■tmm n-i.! mm :.!!>■ -■•ri.Mi-lv dimin- 

 ish the yield. In thi- III", i -■ ' — li"' I' ■' >!■■ i-^ not so 



universally used as in I i-; a food 



is steadily increasing', l ! ii'luction 



in the U. S. from ISM i- 1- -i- !■.' -''•,",.:! bus., 



while the yield in 1899 was 22s,7s;t.2:i-J bus., which sold 

 for an average price of thirty-nine cents per bushel. 

 New York stands first in Potato production, producing 

 28,707,976 bus. of the total yield. The crup of Europe 

 aggregates more than the entii.' -aK :»i mi, ,,f ili,- 



world. The average production I 



tries from 18H1 to 1890 was: I'l ,:i.i:-i.;^ 



Austria, 306,984,697; German), - . I , , ._ j,..i . i;i,--i:,, 

 .300,315,070; the United Kingilom. JJ,5,i.li.;,..;i7 bus. In 

 1898 the United States exported 581,S;i3 bus. and im- 

 ported 530,420 b>is. For further information, consult 

 the Experiment Station bulletins. Carman's "New Po- 

 tato Culture" and Terry's "A B C of Potato Culture"; 

 also bulletins and reports of various experiment sta- 



The most common enemy to the Potato plant, the Col- 

 orado Potato bug, is easily destroyed by applii-ations in 



powder or in a liquid 

 when the bugs first appear. Tl 

 infestans causes the true bli^'l 

 suits in the potato-rot. The t n 

 check bv frpriii''Tit and thorou 

 dea.ix inixtnr.- 



grc 



n, , i„ kept in 

 ,1,--, ,viiU Bor- 

 ^ always well to incorporate Paris 

 ire that any remaining bugs may 

 iordeaux mixture is also useful in 

 • plants from the flea-beetle. Two 



-t r,-ults. dL-pL-udiut: . 

 i)f the rainfall, which 

 The land 



with Bordeaux mixture are tlu; bi;.st treatments. A good 

 Potato field should look like that in Fig. 1933 (adapted 

 from American Agriculturist) ; and the picture also 

 shows a good spraying rig. i. p. Roberts. 



Potato Culture at Norfolk.— The Irish Potato crop 

 at Norfolk, Va., reaches about a half million barrels 

 annually. It is planted in February and March, and 

 marketed in June and July-s:iy fmni .Tune 20 to .liilyJO. 



The land for Potatoes raii-.^ tr,,ni a samly I., am to 

 a clayey loam, all on a sub--,,il ,,I ,-la\. S,,iin, yrars 

 the higher sandy lands do tb< b,,-i . s,,ni, lim, -, ihr iwwt-r 

 more clayey lands give the b 

 the amount and distribution 

 generally from 4 to G inches . 

 plowed with a two-horse plow, in October, November, 

 or December, and then lies until some time in January 

 or February, depending on the character of the winter. 

 It is then replowed, and harrowed down level and 

 smooth; as the land is mellow it all works down as 

 pliable and as fine as the best of garden soil. If Pota- 

 toes are to be grown alone on the land, the rows are laid 

 out with a single plow, turning out a furrow, nearly 

 down to the subsoil, and 2}4 ft. apart. Fertilizer to the 

 amount of 800 or 1,000 lbs. to the acre is drilled into 

 the furrows, and a little plow with a sort of subsoil 

 attachment is run in the row to mix the fertilizer with 

 the earth, and to stir up the hard soil at the bottom of 

 the furrow. 



The seed Potatoes are cut to one eye, and dropped 

 about 12 to 15 in. apart, and then covered with a small 

 turning plow with two furrows. As soon as the Potato 

 begins" to .sprout well, and before it has made its ap- 

 pearance, a smoothing harrow is run across the rows, 

 cutting off the top of the ridges and bringing the Potato 

 sprouts near to the surface. This kills all the early 

 growth of weeds and leaves the land in good condition 

 for the tender plants to break through. As soon as the 

 rows can be followed, a single plow is run along the 

 sides of the row, turning the earth away from the row 

 on both sides. Then a Breed or a Hallock weeder, or 

 any other good weeder, is run over the field, crossing 

 the rows as far as possible at right angles. This leaves 

 the land free from grass or weeds : and the 





(MI«'». 



1933. Spraying Potatoes. 



of the cultivation consists in turning the dirt well to 

 the rows; then a short campaign against the potato 

 ■ le. About half of the seed used 



•p this home seed, a second crop 

 -ing seed taken from the first 

 iistl. This second crop stands 



s plowed out, and the larger 



