221 SPECIALTIES 



wood SO that a low fire may be kept day and night 

 to maintain a temperature of 80° to 90° Fahr., 

 or, even a small oil-stove may be used. 



Here the potatoes will sprout and send out 

 rootlets having thousands of small tubers upon 

 them, from the size of a bird's eye to that of a 

 marble. If you start this sprouting four to 

 six weeks earlier than the ordinary time of 

 planting, you will get your crop just that much 

 ahead of the regular season. 



Only the best of seed potatoes are used, and 

 Early Rose is the favorite variety, but Mr. 

 Ford says, "that sort is best which is known to 

 grow best in the section of the country where 

 you live." In the ordinary culture of potatoes, 

 it requires about 30 bushels of seed to the acre, 

 and 300 is a large yield. By Mr. Ford's method, 

 it takes 140 to 150 bushels to the acre, and the 

 returns are claimed to be 3000 (three thousand) 

 and more bushels. That is, using four or five 

 times as much seed, you get 10 or more times as 

 large a yield. 



If you intend to experiment on this way of 

 planting an acre, let it be as nearly square as 

 possible, which will give you about 70 rows, 

 each about 209 feet long. Ideal potato 

 land is so light that the soil offers little re- 

 sistance to the growing of the tuber; so thor- 



