378 



GARDEN FARMING 



Harvesting. The question of maturity in the potato is not con- 

 sidered in harvesting the early crop for Northern markets ; as soon 

 as the tubers are of sufficient size to be salable, they are harvested. 



As has already been noted, potato blight is prevalent in South- 

 ern localities, and for this reason as soon as the vines become 

 in the slightest degree affected with this disease, the whole crop 

 should be removed as quickly as possible. Otherwise there will 

 be great danger of heavy loss from the rotting of the tubers. 



FIG. 143. Digging truck-crop potatoes with a plow 



While the harvesting of early Irish potatoes grown for home con- 

 sumption is largely carried on by hand, in some localities improved 

 implements, such as potato diggers and potato sorters, are brought 

 into service. The truck farmers along the Atlantic coast, however, 

 adhere largely to the simpler methods of handling the crop, as sug- 

 gested in figures 143 and 144. This is undoubtedly accounted for 

 by the fact that labor is more abundant and not so well trained 

 in the use of improved machinery as in the more northern and 

 western districts. In digging early potatoes in the Atlantic coast 

 district ordinary turning plows are used. Laborers follow the plows 



