POTATO. 183 



having many eyes should have two or three to each piece. 

 Very small seed pieces will not give a full crop, and large 

 pieces are desirable. The biggest crops are most likely to 

 come from the planting of whole tubers, but such- sets general- 

 ly give a larger proportion of small potatoes than cuttings 

 made as recommended. The constant use of small tubers for 

 sets undoubtedly causes varieties to "run out," and, although 

 it is a practice that may be occasionally followed without 

 serious results, it should be avoided if practicable. 



Varieties of potatoes seldom retain their pristine vigor and 

 productiveness many years except in very favorable locations. 

 On some land, even with the best of care, they are apt to "run 

 out," and, as a rule, it is a good plan to occasionally get 

 seed stock from locations very favorable to the best develop- 

 ment of the potato or, at least, to change for seed potatoes 

 grown on a different kind of land. 



In saving potatoes for seed, it is desirable to select them 

 in the field from hills having the largest number of market- 

 able tubers, as there is then a tendency to fix this desirable 

 quality. When selecting from the bin, take smooth, even, 

 medium-sized potatoes; the largest tubers will not neces- 

 sarily give the largest yield. If planting is done on a small 

 scale, it is probably more economical to cut them by hand. 

 Some of the automatic feed machines leave a good many 

 pieces without eyes, and on this account hand fed potato 

 cutters are most desirable for general use, although where 

 land is very cheap the automatic feed machines may some- 

 times be the more economical. 



Early Planting. For early use, potatoes should be planted 

 as soon as the ground is nicely settled. Light, sandy loam is 

 best for this purpose. The tops are quite sensitive to frost, 

 but, as they start slowly, they seldom get up until all danger 

 from frost is passed. If when pushing out of the ground there 

 is danger from frost, the tops are easily protected from it by 

 covering them lightly with loose earth from between the rows, 

 through which they soon push again. If frozen off when sev- 

 eral inches high, the crop is generally seriously lessened, even 

 though new sprouts take the place of those injured. For early 

 crops, the ground should be plowed several times to expose it 

 to the air and to warm it before planting. The sets should no^ 



