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Campbell's 19D2 Soil Culture Manual. 



it again, because so very much depends upon this to secure fineness, firmness 

 and moisture in the soil such as may be most favorable to a rapid and 

 full developement of roots such as will lead them to permeate every part 

 or portion of the soil as shown in cut No. 6. In this, however, only the main 

 lateral roots and branches are shown. The little hair roots or feeders may 

 be found in such soil running in every direction, so completely filling the 

 soil as to draw moisture and plant food from every portion. In cut No. 19 

 we illustrate a condition that should be well understood. It represents at 

 the right a section of a branch root showing the cell formation; from these 

 outer cells are the hair roots or feeders, A A, running through among the 

 particles of soil represented by the dark spots; around these spots are lines 

 parallel with the shape of the particle of soil which represents the film or 

 covering of water. The white spots represent air spaces. Now, if the 

 reader will look at this cut and think for a moment that these hair roots 

 or little tubes marked A A in their full size in the soil are barely percept- 

 able to the naked eye, and then imagine that these soil grains and air 

 spaces here shown are proportionately smaller in their real soil condition, 

 he can catch the ideal condition as shown in cut No. 6. 



If you are after a sure crop, as well as a good crop of potatoes, get 

 your root bed as near this condition as possible. Now, having previously 

 succeeded in storing a liberal amount of moisture in the soil below, as 

 shown in Cut No. 8, you can plant your potatoes knowing you have done 

 all you could do to assure success so far. 



Planting may be done at the time of plowing by dropping the pota- 

 toes on the side of the furrows about 3 inches from the bottom, letting the 

 next furrow cover them; or complete the fitting same as for any crop and 

 then plant with a potato planter about four inches deep. 



SEED. 



As to variety and quantity of seed, we favor the well-bred early 

 Ohio, and prefer large potatoes and cut them as near to two eyes on a 

 piece, putting one piece in a hill. For the more arid portions of the semi- 

 arid belt we would plant the rows about 3 feet 10 inches apart and drop 

 the seed, cut as above, about 20 inches apart. In the lower altitudes, or 

 where there is a greater rainfall, plant somewhat closer. Remember, the 

 one great point is to never let your potato plant lack for water. If you do 

 your crop suffers. Small and knotty potatoes are the result of the potato 

 plant getting short of water at certain times, which tends to force the 

 ripening or maturing period. Then a sudden and heavy rainfall or the ir- 

 rigation of the potatoes after this condition forces a new and rapid growth 

 which results in setting a second lot of potatoes, some of which may ap- 

 pear on the roots and others on the sides of the already formed potato. 



