Potatoes. 



271 



proper condition of the sprout at planting time is clearly shown 

 in the illustration below. When several shoots rise from the 

 same tuber, all but one or two of the strongest should be 

 rubbed off. The seed should be carried in the trays to the 

 field, and carefully placed in the furrows without breaking off 

 the shoots, or all the care and trouble spent upon them will be 

 thrown away. The 

 advantages gained by 

 sprouting are three- 

 fold. A few weeks' 

 growth is secured 

 before the seed is 

 planted, and the crop 

 from sprouted seed 

 is thereby ready for 

 lifting several weeks 

 earlier than that 

 from seed which is 

 unsprouted. When 

 at planting time the 

 soil is wet and cold 

 that operation can be 

 deferred until the 

 conditions are more 

 favourable and yet 



no time is lost be- 

 cause growth is still 

 proceeding; this is copyright, v. A. & Co . 

 a great ' advantage Seed Potat0f Sprouted . 



where the soil is of a 



heavy nature. And it has been proved by a number of experi- 

 ments that plants from sprouted seed continue more vigorous 

 throughout the season and ultimately yield a crop noticeably 

 heavier than that from unsprouted seed, amounting in some 

 cases to an increase of 25 per cent. 



Distances apart and Depth for Planting. The distances 

 apart at which the sets are planted depends upon the variety, 

 their natural vigour of growth, and the richness of the soil. 

 In favoured spots, where soil, situation, and climate conduce 



