POTATOES 



1703 



Early Rose. 



Burbank 



Early Ohio. 



Early Bruce. 



Propagation 



The potato is propagated generally by- 

 planting the tubers. The tubers are cut 

 sometimes into small pieces containing 

 but one eye or bud each and planted in 

 rows, either in hills of two to four pieces 

 in a place, or in drills of one in each 

 place and two to four inches apart. They 

 are then covered to a depth of about four 

 inches so that when the tubers form on 

 the root they will be below the surface 

 of the ground, because tubers above 

 ground are green and poisonous. In 

 planting small patches for home use, the 

 planting is done by hand and the tubers 

 covered with a hoe or a plow; but in 

 planting large quantities for commercial 

 purposes the work is done with a potato 



Pride of Multnomah. 



planter, by means of which several acres 

 can be planted in one day. The seed of 

 the potato, which is really the fruit and 

 which forms on the top, is never planted 

 except for the purpose of propagating 

 new varieties. The largest crops are not 

 likely to come from planting the whole 

 tuber, especially if it is large; neither is 

 it better to cut the pieces too small, for 

 in that case the plant would not have 

 sufficient nourishment to get fairly 

 started; but a medium size of two or 

 three eyes is better. The choice of small 

 tubers is not good, for the constant use 

 of small tubers has been shown to cause 

 degeneration of the stock, or, as the 

 farmers generally say, "the seed runs 

 out." 



Varieties of potatoes grown on the 

 same land and under similar conditions 

 for several years seldom retain their 

 vigor and productiveness. It is better, 

 therefore, to grow something else, like 

 clover, alfalfa, corn or wheat occasion- 

 ally, and to renew the seed by getting 

 potatoes from another soil and climate. 



Soil Best Adapted 



* We have seldom seen a better soil for 



the growing of potatoes than the volcanic 



