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- 
