Potatoes in Eight Weeks— By Samuel Fraser 



Cornell Experiment 

 Station 



SPROUT YOUR POTATOES BEFORE YOU PLANT THEM AND YOU WILL GET NOT ONLY 

 AN EARLIER BUT A LARGER CROP— AN EXPERIMENT WORTH TRYING THIS YEAR 



Photographs by courtesy of the Cornell Experiment Station 



IN THE Northern states varieties of pota- 

 toes are frequently spoken of as being 

 early, second early, or late. The usage of 

 these words is not strictly literal, and refers 

 to the length of time taken to reach maturity, 

 and not to the time of planting. 



Some early varieties of potatoes will pro- 

 duce a crop of tubers in from seventy to 

 ninety days after planting. Second earliest 

 or medium varieties require from ninety to one 

 hundred and thirty days, while late varieties 

 may continue to grow for two hundred days. 

 In many places it is possible to reduce con- 

 siderably the period of growth, and when the 

 conditions are good some of the early varie- 

 ties will produce a crop of tubers in from 

 fifty to sixty days after planting. 



From the practice developed in the Island 

 of Jersey and used by the writer for several 

 years, it would seem that some of the most 

 important factors in the production of a suc- 

 cessful crop of early potatoes are: 



(a) To secure a good strain of seed of a 

 suitable variety; 



(b) To hold this seed during winter in 

 such a manner that it will be in the best 

 possible condition for planting; 



(c) To plant the potatoes under favorable 

 conditions. 



The Eureka (medium) and Uncle Sam 

 (late) tend to become coarse and rough when 

 grown on heavy loam soils, but are good on 

 light loams. The Early Ohio and Bovee 

 (early) set so many tubers that they require 

 a rich loam soil in order to give the best re- 

 turns. One of our earliest potatoes, Bliss 

 Triumph or Stray Beauty, is of rather poor 

 quality and is undesirable on this account, 

 although in some parts of the Southern states 

 this character is not so marked. The Early 

 Rose is a good quality potato and is not so 

 fastidious as some others, being in fact one 

 of the oldest and one of the most cosmo- 

 politan varieties now grown. It seems to 

 do equally well in Great Britain, South 

 Africa, Australia and America and, on this 

 account many strains have been developed 



from it which are now on the market under 

 other names. 



Some of the best-known varieties are: 



EXTRA EARLY 



Early Ohio 

 Six Weeks Market 

 Bliss Triumph or Stray 

 Beauty 



Early Thoroughbred 



Bovee 



Reliance 



Crown Jewel 



Earlv Rose (some strains) 



Noroton Beauty 



SECOND EARLY OR MEDIUM 



Burpee's Extra Early 



Eureka 



Beauty of Hebron 



Polaris 



Irish Cobbler 



Early Rose (some strains) 



LATE 



Carman No. 3 

 Sir Walter Raleigh 

 Rural New Yorker No. 2 

 Green Mountain 

 Vermont Gold Coin 

 State of Maine 

 Uncle Sam 



Anyone having seed potatoes of some good 

 variety may grow as good seed potatoes as 



Open trays are used for the sprouting. These 

 can be piled in tiers and can be carried to (he field 

 without disturbing the tubers 



can be purchased if he will select the best 

 plants from year to year and use their produce 

 for seed ; but if seed is not on hand it should 

 be secured as soon as convenient, care being 



/i*'t 



Potatoes can be grown in eight weeks if the seed 

 is first allowed to sprout like this. The ideal length 

 for the sprouts 



The sprouting tray is easily made 



taken that it does not become frozen in 

 transit. 



The tubers should be kept dormant and 

 firm until sprouting is started, and should 

 not be wilted when planted. Seed potatoes 

 may be stored in the fall in shallow trays, 

 which should not be piled more than two 

 deep, in a cool cellar where there is good light 

 and ventilation. If the temperature of the 

 cellar can be maintained between 3 2° and 40 

 F. it would be advisable, but a few degrees 

 higher will do no- harm. If the temperature 

 be much higher the tubers will wilt. In 

 February, or two months before planting, 

 the temperature may run to between 50 

 and 70 F., or the trays may be transferred 

 to a coldframe or any other place of suitable 

 temperature and provided with plenty of 

 75 



light and good ventilation. This change in 

 temperature will induce the tubers to sprout 

 The shoots will not grow longer than one- 

 half to three-quarters of an inch, will 

 appear thick and stocky, with a number of 

 small roots emerging from their surface, and 

 will carry a number of scale-like leaves. 

 These characteristics indicate a healthy shoot. 

 If the sprouts are long and thin and white in 

 color, as is frequently seen when tubers are 

 sprouted in the dark, they will not give as good 

 results. The tubers should be planted within 

 two months after the first appearance of the 

 sprouts. 



The most suitable soil is a light friable loam 

 which has been manured the previous season 

 and is in good condition. Prepare it as early 

 as possible in spring and apply a dressing of 

 acid phosphate at the rate of from one to one 

 and a half pounds for every eight or ten 

 square yards. In the writer's experience 

 this fertilizer has always tended to hasten 

 maturity. The potatoes should not be planted 

 too deeply, preferably two to three inches, 

 and, with good tillage and in some places 

 a little protection from frost, should it 

 occur, new potatoes may be secured early in 

 June. 



It is interesting to know that all the experi- 

 ments reported in this country from various 

 experiment stations show that not only does 

 sprouting the tubers hasten the maturity of 

 the crop, but it also increases the yield, so 

 that for the gardener who desires to secure 

 the heaviest possible yield, this method of 

 starting tubers is of decided value. 



A convenient tray may be made by using 

 half-inch material for the bottom and sides 

 with i£ x i£ inch corner pieces. The corner 

 pieces should be 6^ inches long, the side 

 pieces 24 inches long, and the end pieces 10^ 

 inches long, 3 inches wide and § or \ inch 

 thick. The support for the handle should be 

 10^ x 1 x I inches, and the handle 23 x 1 x f 

 inches. Nail the end pieces and the support 

 for handle to the corner pieces, letting them 

 come flush, then nail the sides on, the bot- 

 tom and handle across being put on last. 



Sprouts of this size result in a much lessened yield. 

 Belter not sprout the seed at all 



