WAY OF GROWING POTATOES 



93 



potatoes to build up the sides and putting the small 

 stuff in the middle. 



Very often a farmer thinks his potatoes have com- 

 pletely missed disease. He pits them, but then when 

 he comes to turn them over in two or three months' 

 time he finds half of them rotten. To minimise this 

 risk always have a bit of air-slaked, dusty lime to hand, 

 and in putting the potatoes into the clamp dust them 

 well with this. This keeps them nice and dry, and if 

 by any chance a few diseased ones do get into the pit. 



Never clamp potatoes until they are ripe, that is, until 

 the skin is quite firm and will not rul) off. 



the lime prevents the disease from spreading to the 

 surrounding tubers. 



Another thing that causes potatoes to rot in the 

 clamp is digging and pitting them when they are not 

 properly ripe. Potatoes should never be dug until the 

 haulms have completely withered and the haulms can 

 be pulled out of the land without any potatoes sticking 

 to the roots. 



Another test is to rub the potatoes between the 

 thumb and finger. Only when the skin does not rub 

 off under the thumb are they ripe enough for digging 

 and pitting. 



