100 



AGRICULTURE 



24.35% 



The yield. Potatoes, like other crops, vary greatly in 

 yield owing to differences in the fertility of the soil and 

 the care taken in raising the crop. The average for the 

 United States during the last ten-year period has been about 

 ninety-six bushels to the acre. It is somewhat humiliating 

 to know that, in spite of our improved machinery and scien- 

 tific knowledge of the soil and plant diseases, we are now se- 

 curing only about the same yield of potatoes that was pro- 

 duced at the close of the Civil War. Experts tell us that 

 this yield can easily be doubled, with comparatively small 

 expense and trouble. 



3. Raising the Crop 



The soil. Potatoes thrive best in a rich sandy loam 

 containing a good supply of humus. Hard stiff soils or 

 heavy clay are not well adapted to potato raising. The 

 best soil on the farm should be devoted to the potato field, 

 both because potatoes demand a better soil than most othef 

 crops, and because the value of potatoes per acre is greatei 

 than almost any other common crop. 



