134 POTATOES 



planting. Hand methods of preparing soil for planting are labo- 

 rious and expensive for large areas. 



Varieties of Potatoes for Different Seasons and Sections.— In 

 northern states, one crop only is grown in the season. For the 

 home garden a small quantity is planted of some early variety. 

 This may be Irish Cobbler (Fig. 81), Early Red Triumph, Early 

 Ohio, or some other crop which grows quickly. The yield is always 

 comparatively small for the early crop. 



The main crop to be used for winter storage or for winter market- 

 ing is planted in rather early spring and occupies the ground 

 throughout the growing season. Suitable varieties are Rural New 

 Yorker, Burbank (Fig. 80), Carman No. 3, and many others. In 

 each section there are certain varieties which become popular partly 

 because of their special adaptation to the soils of the region. 



In southern states two crops are commonly grown. These may 

 not both occupy the same soil but the late crop is planted after the 

 early crop is harvested. In all states southward from Virginia and 

 Tennessee, the late crop may be planted as late as July 15 or 

 August 1. The spring crop is started in February or March, or as 

 soon as the ground can be safely worked. For winter storage the 

 fall crop is the best, but where storage facilitates are very favorable, 

 the spring crop harvested in July may be kept over for winter use. 

 The varieties commonly used for both fall and spring crops are the 

 same. They include Irish Cobbler, Early Triumph, Green Moun- 

 tain, and others. 



The long season crops are seldom grown in southern states. 

 The long hot summers are not particularly favorable to their 

 growth and the yield is less than where two crops are grown in 

 one season. 



Seed Potatoes. — It is a very common practice for the northern 

 states to supply southern growers with seed potatoes. To some 

 extent this practice is founded upon a belief that southern grown 

 seed potatoes are not so productive. Probably another cause for 

 this practice was poor storage facilities in the South. Potatoes 

 kept over winter under unfavorable conditions may rot or sprout 

 too, soon. Cold storage facilities rather tend to remedy this 

 difficulty. 



In northern latitudes seed potatoes are kept over from the pre- 

 ceding year and are less seldom shipped from cold storage plants. 

 They may be stored in cellars free from frost. In an earlier chapter 

 methods of improving seed potatoes have been described. 



