TUBER CROP PROJECTS 207 



3. How should seed be stored to keep in good condition ? 



Fr : 53-54. 



4. Has northern-grown seed any advantages over home-grown? 



rr:51. 



5. How would you proceed to select your own seed? 



Fr:74. Gi: 54-85. 



6. Preparing the soil (W : 63-204) . — When making preparation 

 for a successful crop of potatoes, we should bear in mind that 

 much will depend on our skill in controlling soil moisture. We 

 have learned that this crop must have a large amount of water if 

 a satisfactory yield is to be expected, and the soil management 

 should be such as will conserve as much moisture as possible for 

 the benefit of the potatoes. 



Potatoes are nearly always grown in rotation with other crops. 

 On Long Island and in a few other sections they are grown on the 

 same soil year after year, but the practice should not be recom- 

 mended. In general farming regions red clover or grass of some 

 kind nearly always precedes potatoes. Probably no crop is better 

 for this purpose than red clover because it leaves the soil in a loose, 

 friable condition and makes large contributions to the soil supply 

 of nitrogen and organic matter. 



Stable manures are very generally used for the growing of po- 

 tatoes, and the amount varies from 10 to 25 tons to the acre. It 

 is doubtful whether the very large applications of manure are as 

 profitable as smaller amounts — 10 to 15 tons — supplemented 

 with commercial fertilizers. The manure, too, should be at least 

 partially decayed, and, if possible, it should be applied in the fall 

 before the land is plowed. 



Fall plowing is always an advantage from the standpoint of 

 soil moisture, if the land is harrowed just as early in the spring as 



