THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 287 
keep them in a moist, warm place. The pieces may 
also be packed close together in plots. Place an inch of 
compost in the plot and put on a layer of sand an inch 
deep. Pack the potatoes in the sand and cover them. 
Potatoes planted the fifteenth of March will have formed 
strong roots and stems by the middle of April. If a cold 
frame is placed over the plots, the plants will grow more 
rapidly. 
Digging and storing. Dig potatoes as soon as the vines 
are dried, or let them remain in the ground until fall if 
the soil is dry. Do not let them he on the ground in 
the sun, for this will turn them green and injure their 
flavor. Store them in barrels in a dry, cool cellar, and 
keep them away from a freezing temperature. 
Diseases. Potato blight may be prevented by spray- 
ing with Bordeaux mixture, beginning treatment when 
the plants are about six inches high. To prevent scab, 
rotate the crop or soak the potatoes in formalin for two 
hours just before: cutting, using one ounce of formalin 
to two gallons of water. Allow no treated tubers to 
come in contact with bags or boxes where untreated ones 
have been kept. 
Pests. For the Colorado beetle, commonly called the 
potato bug, use one teaspoonful of Paris green in two 
gallons of water. A teaspoonful of lime may be added 
to increase the adhesive property of the Paris green ; 
this also prevents the poison from burning the leaves. 
Apply the mixture with a common garden sprinkler 
or with a spray pump. A tablespoonful of arsenate of 
