CHAPTER VIII 

 PLANTING 



Distance Apart. As potato roots spread laterally 

 to a distance of 2 to 2.5 feet, the potatoes might be 

 planted in rows four to five feet apart without the 

 roots overlapping in the feeding-ground. TJhe advan- 

 tage of such distances would be that intertillage could 

 be maintained until quite late in the season, and that 

 there would be opportunity to spray the plants as late 

 as one wished. Whether such distances would be eco- 

 nomical is a local question largely controlled by the 

 supply of moisture available for the crop. In Colo- 

 rado the potatoes are usually planted in rows four feet 

 apart. In humid climates 30 to 36 inches is more 

 common, and 27 inches and even less is profitable in 

 some cases. Other factors are the value of land and 

 the cost of labor. Where land is low in value and 

 labor high, wider rows and the use of machinery are 

 necessities. With high-priced land and low-priced 

 labor the rows may be much closer together, and a 

 much larger yield per acre may be possible. 



The most suitable distance probably varies with each 

 variety; it certainly varies with some. For spraying 

 purposes a variety with long, straggling haulm requires 

 more space than one with short, upright haulm. Most 

 of the early varieties belong to the latter type, and such 

 are planted closely. Rows 27 to 30 inches apart, with 

 plants 8 to 12 inches asunder, for early varieties, and 



91 



