POTATOES 163 



depend for its winter supply on its late potato crop, or on 

 those grown in the North. The combined yields per acre of 

 the two plantings in the South will hardly equal the one 

 crop grown each season in northern States. 



Northern Potatoes. The North raises but one crop, and 

 this is planted in the spring after all severe frost is over. 

 It then requires the whole season to mature and is harvested 

 before the ground freezes in the fall. These potatoes, which 

 have grown through the long season and are well matured, 

 are of good keeping quality. They do not sprout so readily 

 as the more rapidly matured potatoes of the South. It is 

 for this reason that the southern States get most of their seed 

 potatoes from the North. 



Types. There are chiefly two types, viz., early pota- 

 toes and late potatoes. These differ chiefly in the 

 time required to mature the crop from the time of planting. 

 Early varieties are planted as soon as the ground can be 

 worked in spring and are harvested as soon as possible for 

 early market. Late varieties are planted late in May or 

 early in June and are left in the ground to full maturity and 

 are then sold or stored for winter. 



Soil. The best soil for the potato is a rich, sandy loam, 

 well drained and well supplied with vegetable matter. A 

 soil heavier than this may be used if it is improved by green 

 manuring and drainage. The lighter soils should be greatly 

 enriched by the addition of green manures and fertilizers. 

 Potatoes should be alternated or rotated with other crops 

 on the field, not continuously grown on the same land. 



Barnyard manure for potato fields should be well rotted 

 or may be applied to the soil for the preceding crop, such as 

 corn. Commercial fertilizers are commonly applied at the 

 time the potatoes are planted. 



Need of Moisture. Irish potatoes require a large sup- 

 ply of capillary moisture. For every pound of potatoes 

 harvested the plant will have used nearly five hundred pounds 



