354 Elementary Principles of Agriculture 



rapid growth, especially seedlings. Plant seed in flats about one 

 inch apart and transplant to pots or larger flats when second 

 or third leaves appear. Much time will be lost if the plants are 

 allowed to grow slender from crowding, poor light, or confinement 

 in close spaces. Early started tomato and other plants should be 

 ''hardened off" before transplanting to the open. This is done by 

 gradually exposing the plants to the cooler night temperatures and 

 being less liberal in supplying water to the pots. 



Fig. 222. Potatoes should be planted deep. On left, planted only two inches 

 deep, and as a result some were sunburned. On right, planted four inches deep 

 deep enough for the potatoes to be protected but still easy to dig. Note the 

 growth of roots. 



521. Irish Potatoes are grown in every state in the 

 Union. In the northern states the crops are stored and 

 used through the year. In the South two crops are 

 produced. The spring crop is usually rushed to market 

 to get the benefit of high prices. The fall crop is usually 

 marketed more slowly, a part being saved for seed for 

 the spring crop. The potato is a tuber, a thickened stem, 

 which, like root crops, shows good results from deep break- 

 ing. Sandy loamy soils, rich in humus and plant fiber, 

 are especially desirable. In the potato regions of the 

 West rotations involving grain and the plowing under of 

 the last cutting of alfalfa have proven to be highly profit- 



