98 The Potato 



The markets have demands which the individual can do 

 little to change. But in the selection of methods he has 

 wide range of choice. The great variation in the climates 

 and soils of as large a country as the United States makes 

 for a wide range in culture methods. Broadly speaking, 

 most of the potato-growing of the United States may be 

 divided into five general types : 



(1) The early truck crop of the southern states, extend- 

 ing to about the latitude of Washington. This belt is 

 characterized by extreme summer heat which prevents 

 growth in summer, excepting that of the heat-resistant 

 McCormick variety. The crop is grown in the cool 

 months of winter and spring for shipment to city markets 

 because too perishable to store in the hot summer. Most 

 of the seed is imported from the north or grown in the 

 cool fall months as a "second crop." Commercial fer- 

 tilizers are heavily used in this belt. The summer heat 

 does not permit growth of most of the perennial hay crops 

 used in other sections. Annuals are mainly used for hay 

 and for the cover-crops that are often raised to prevent 

 erosion and loss of plant-food in winter. Owing to the 

 higher prices for extreme earliness, only short-season early 

 maturing varieties are used and these are usually dug 

 immature. Less machinery is used than in other sections. 



(2) The northern belt of the principal potato-producing 

 states. This extends from Maine to North Dakota and 

 down to the latitude of New York City. This belt sup- 

 plies the cities and southern states during the fall and 

 winter and competes with the southern truck crop from 

 April to July. The climate here is cool enough for the 

 potato to maintain its vitality in most seasons, if given 

 good care. Early varieties are now grown but little 

 except for shipment South as seed stock. The use of fer- 



