POTATOES 169 



to soak a peck of potatoes at a time will serve. An 

 empty butter firkin will be large enough. Into this 

 put seven gallons of water and four ounces (one half 

 cup) of formalin. Put the potatoes, whole, into a 

 clean bag, and. soak them two hours in the solution.; 

 Spread the potatoes out to dry, and do not let theni; 

 touch bags or boxes where potatoes have been 

 stored. 



Cutting Potato Seed. — Select for seed medium- 

 sized potatoes which are well shaped, true to the type 

 of the potato you are planting. A round potato,, 

 though even and pretty, would not be true to the 

 Early Rose type. Even if the price is high, seed, 

 potatoes cost so little more than table potatoes that 

 it is worth the small extra expense to plant only 

 perfect ones, using the others for the table. Like 

 breeds like. If you plant a seed from a poorly 

 shaped potato, that is just what you are hkely'to 

 dig from the hill. 



If you examine a potato, you will find that on 

 one end, where the little stem was, there are no 

 eyes. At the other end there are several eyes, close 

 together. On the sides there are usually four or five 

 more. Plan to cut the potato so that each piece 

 will have one or two good eyes and a solid piece of 

 flesh. The best way is to stand the potato on: a. 

 board, with the eye end up. Cut down between- 

 the best two eyes in the end,, taking care to divide 

 the eyes, on .the sides as ^evenly as possible. . One:. 



