12 



WAR GARDENING 



DIRECTIONS FOR VEGETABLE GROWING 



POTATOES 



As one of the staple needs of the household Potatoes are entitled to special attention in 

 Home Gardening and Community Gardening. In selecting for seed it is desirable to choose 

 medium to large, smooth, shallow-eyed potatoes. The best seed will produce the best crop. 

 Potatoes grow best in sandy loam or in a gravel loam. Heavy, sticky clay or loose sand is not 

 desirable soil. Potatoes should not be grown in the same place in the garden in which they 

 were grown the previous year. A rotation of three or four years is desirable. 



Preparation of the soil should be done with care. The ground should be worked with 

 plow, spade and hoe, to a depth of 8 or 10 inches, and should be thoroughly broken up or 

 pulverized, then thoroughly worked with a steel-toothed rake. This preparation is of great 

 importance and should not be slighted. Attention to details is necessary to success. 



Treat Seed for Scab 



One of the most common diseases affecting 

 seed potatoes is scab. This attacks the skin 

 of the potato, causing it to thicken, and giving 

 it a scabby appearance. It is carried through 

 the winter, in soil, in manure and on the po- 



Fig. 14 — Properly cut seed potatoes. Each piece has two 

 and is about the size of a hen's egg. 



tatoes themselves. To control this affection 

 it is important that potatoes should be ro- 

 tated with other crops as to location, and the 

 same soil not used for potatoes except at 

 intervals of three or four years. A simple 

 remedy, easily applied, is to soak the seed 

 potatoes before planting, in a solution of 

 Formalin and water. This solution is made 

 of 1 ounce of Formalin (40 per cent formalde- 

 hyde), mixed in 2 gallons of water. In this 

 mixture soak the uncut potatoes for two 

 hours, and spread them out to dry. The 

 solution can be used on as many lots of 

 potatoes as desired. 



Seed potatoes should be spread out in a 

 room in which they will be exposed to strong 

 light for two weeks before cutting, to start 

 sprouts and detect poor seed. If large po- 

 tatoes are used cut them into pieces weighing 

 from 1 to 2 ounces, each piece having at least 

 two eyes. If potatoes are scarce and expen- 

 sive the pieces may be cut to a single eye. 

 Do not cut the seed until it is to be planted. 



Planting 



For planting, prepare trenches or furrows 

 from 3 to 5 inches deep and from 24 to 36 

 inches apart. Plant seed pieces 3 inches 

 deep for early potatoes and 5 inches for late 



varieties. The seed pieces should be 14 to 

 18 inches apart in rows, the smaller the pieces 

 the closer the planting. Fill the trench with 

 dirt, firming it in order that the moisture may 

 be brought in contact with the seed pieces 

 to assist in the process of germination. 

 Usually potatoes should not be planted as 

 late as the first week in July very 

 1^ far north of the Mason and Dixon 

 line except in sections where it is 

 known that they will mature 

 before freezing weather arrives. 



Cultivation 



As soon as the potato plants 

 good eyes '^°'"'^ "P begin cultivating them. 

 The cultivation should begin be- 

 fore they come up if a crust forms. 

 Cultivate or hoe every week during the 

 season, to keep the surface in good condition. 

 When the plants are young work the soil up 

 around them to support the plants. 



Potatoes are subject to diseases and in- 

 sects which are scheduled on page 21. Take 

 precautions to keep these from getting a 

 start. Follow instructions as to spraying 



Fig. 1 5 — On the left is shown tuber sprouted in warm, 

 dark storage place. Such spouts sap vitality and 

 decrease yield. On the right is green sprouted tuber. 

 By this latter method the tuber retains its vitality 

 and a good yield is insured. 



and keep at it during the season. It is 

 better to spray before trouble appears than 

 to take chances. 



Dig early potatoes when they are of the 

 size desired. Late potatoes, for storing, 

 should not be dug until the leaves and stems 

 are dead, or until the skin is so firm that it 

 may not easily be rubbed off. 



