12 
deeply in the ground—as is done in the old- 
style field plantings where the seed pieces 
are placed in the bottom of every third 
furrow, to be covered by the plow. A depth 
of about two inches (covering with fine 
soil) will do for the early garden crop, the soil 
being thrown over by the hand plow, rake 
or hoe. The ideal depth for best average 
results is four inches; too shallow planting 
results in having tubers exposed. 
WHEN TO CULTIVATE 
Cultivate frequently throughout the grow- 
ing season—once a week at least and oftener 
if convenient. In the home garden either 
the hand plow or wheel hoe may be used. 
Extra care and labor expended in the 
preparation of the soil before planting give 
positive returns in an earlier start and a 
stronger growth. Equally, too, constant 
and thorough surface cultivation afterward 
will show most markedly beneficial results. 
i 
A good plant having a few good sized tubers. Soil 
removed to show how they form. Distance across 
tubers 2 ft.; spread of roots 4 ft. 
The old saying that ‘cultivation is manure” 
may not be entirely correct, but cultivation 
certainly does enable the plants to derive 
the greatest benefits from the fertilizers 
used. Cultivation also conserves the sup- 
ply of moisture in a dry season, and by 
keeping the soil constantly loose and open, 
admits air to the roots. If the soil is left 
slightly ridged over the row or hills when the 
potatoes are planted, cultivation can be 
begun before the shoots appear above the 
surface. 
After the plants attain a height of ten to 
twelve inches, draw up the earth to form a 
ridge or hill about the plants, but before 
this is done, extra feeding can be given by 
working the soil away from the row and sow- 
ing another dressing of fertilizer along both 
sides of the stalks, afterwards throwing the 
loose earth up to the vines. When the earth 
is well ridged or hilled around the plants, 
the tubers form in the ridge or hill and are 
easily dug; they are also kept drier in a wet 
season or when grown in low, wet ground. 
DIGGING AND STORING 
The tubers may be dug for immediate 
use in the fresh state at any time after they 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
reach a suitable size—say from one inch 
to one and a half inches in diameter. These 
potatoes are not pared or peeled as the skin 
is barely forming on the tubers. They 
are simply scraped clean, boiled until ten- 
der and then served with melted butter or 
a white sauce. All the potatoes in the hill 
can be used at this stage, the small or “mar- 
ble” size being just as good as the larger 
ones, but only as many as are needed for 
immediate use should be dug at one time. 
The potato is said to be ‘‘ripe”’ when the 
skin is firmly set on the tuber and does not 
rub off or suffer abrasion in handling. The 
tops of the very early kinds die down as soon 
as the growth is completed, but with the 
larger, later sorts, the tops or vines remain 
fresh and green even after the potatoes have 
reached their full size. 
These late varieties must be dug as soon 
as the skin becomes firm and well set. If 
left in the ground in a rainy season, a second 
growth starts, causing knobs on the tubers 
which, besides detracting from the appear- 
ance of the tubers, impairs both the keeping 
and cooking qualities. 
When the potatoes are dug, they should 
be stored in a cool, well aired cellar or ‘shed. 
If the ground is wet so that the soil adheres 
to the tubers, it should be dusted lightly 
with fine dry lime or land plaster to improve 
the keeping qualities. A darkened place is 
the best for the tubers after they have been 
dug and stored, as strong light will turn the 
skins green. 
FOLLOW POTATOES WITH CABBAGE 
In the highly fertilized garden the aim 
is to keep crops coming on in as rapid suc- 
cession as possible. Therefore, as soon as 
the potatoes show signs of flowering, or of 
having completed their growth, work up 
the soil between the rows (as deeply as pos- 
sible) and set late cabbage plants or hills 
of sweet corn between the potato rows. 
Either will make a good start while the 
potatoes are maturing. 
NEW POTATOES ALL SUMMER 
While I have only referred to the earliest 
possible planting, other plantings may be 
made in the same way at any time during 
the spring months, while in the Southern 
states it is a common practice to make a 
planting the last of July or early in August 
to furnish a supply of “new” potatoes in 
the fall. If a continued supply of “new” 
potatoes is desired in the home garden, 
the period of production can be lengthened 
to include very nearly the entire summer, 
either by making several plantings of an 
early variety at different times, or by plant- 
ing at the same time different varieties which 
will come on in succession. As a rule, the 
late plantings (especially of early varieties) 
do not develop as large a growth of plant 
and foliage as the early plantings and come 
on more quickly, yet produce nearly as large 
a crop of tubers. 
The only really serious insect preying on 
the potato is the striped Colorado potato 
beetle, and this is easily held in check by 
frequent light applications of Paris green. 
FrepruaRy, 1908 
iT 
The leaf to the left is attacked by blight; the 
other is not. Both show holes made by flea beetle. 
Bordeaux mixture cures both 
The old bugs which live in the ground all 
winter begin their attack as soon as the 
young plants appear above the ground, but 
do little damage. The soft worm-like larve 
hatched later rapidly defoliate the plants, 
however. ‘Therefore, treat the young plants 
early in the season. 
The one serious fungus disease is leaf 
blight, which sometimes checks the growth of 
the plants. This appears when the hot 
weather sets in with sudden and marked 
changes. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture 
will check this and if Paris green is added to 
the mixture, (one pound toa hundred gal- 
lons), both bugs and blight can be treated 
in a single application. 
The small home garden is seldom equipped 
with a suitable spraying apparatus, and in 
such cases both the poisonous insecticides 
and fungicides are most readily applied in 
dry powder form by means of bellows or gun. 
Harvest the main crop varieties as soon as they 
show flowers, and prevent second growth 
