Vegetable Gardening 



135 



Potatoes. White or " Irish " potatoes are grown The best 

 both as a field crop and as a garden vegetable (Fig. no). S ^taioes 

 Light sandy loam is the soil most suitable for them, 

 though they will grow in any soil and in almost any 

 climate. 



That part of the common potato which we eat is not What the 

 a root, but it is a tuber an enlarged underground f e 

 stem. And the " eyes," which are planted to produce c 

 the new crop, are really buds. Each eye will grow, 

 and even a scrap of peel containing an eye will produce 

 a plant. But it will not do well unless there is enough 

 substance with the eye to furnish nourishment for the 

 plant while it is getting its root system established. 

 Experts say that each piece into which a potato is cut 

 for " seed " should be as large as a small egg (Fig. in). 



It is the better plan to select seed potatoes while they 



U. S. I). A. 



FIG. no. Digging and picking potatoes. On large farms 4-horse riding 

 diggers are used. 



