STARCH PLANTS 



the nodes of a maniok stem. The potato is propagated, 

 therefore, by means of the tubers. It is best to select 

 large, smooth ones. The 

 tubers should be cut into 

 pieces as large as a chico, 

 and each piece must con- 

 tain at least one eye. The 

 around must be soft to a 



o 



depth of 20 cm or more ; 

 large tubers cannot possi- 

 bly be formed in hard 

 ground. The potatoes or 

 pieces are planted in rows 

 60 cm apart, and placed 30 

 cm apart in each row. Un- 

 less the ground is very wet, 

 they should be planted 1 2 

 cm deep, and covered by 

 soft soil. 



Cultivation and Harvesting. As the plants grow, the 

 soil must be cultivated frequently, to keep it soft and to 

 keep down the weeds. After the tops become 20 cm 

 or more high, some of the soil between the rows should be 

 drawn around the plants. This is called "hilling" the 

 plants. The leaves turn brown when the crop is mature. 



In the garden of the Normal School, good potatoes 

 have been harvested 55 days after planting, the crop 

 yielding 6 tons to the hektar. It would not be prof- 

 itable to raise potatoes in the Philippines as a source of 



FIG. 67. Potatoes 



