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VEGETABLE GARDENING. 



When selecting from the bin, take smooth, even, medium-sized 

 potatoes; the largest tubers will not necessarily give the largest 

 yield. If planting is done on a small scale it will probably be 

 found more economical to cut them by hand. Some of the auto- 

 matic seed potato cutting machines leave a good many pieces 

 without eyes, and on this account hand fed potato cutters are 

 most desirable for general use, although where land is very cheap 

 the automatic feed machines may sometimes be the more eco- 

 nomical. 



Early Planting. — For early use potatoes should be planted as 

 soon as the ground is nicely settled. Light, sandy loam is best 

 for this purpose. The tops are quite sensitive to frost, but, as 

 they start slowly, they seldom get up until all danger from frost 

 is past. If when pushing out of the ground there is danger 

 from frost, the tops are easily protected from it by covering 

 them lightly with loose earth from between the rows, through 

 which they soon push again. If frozen off when several inches 

 high the crop is generally seriously lessened, even though new 

 sprouts take the place of those injured. For early crops, the 

 ground may be plowed several times in the spring to expose it to 

 the air and to warm it before planting. The sets for the early 

 crop should not be covered quite so deep as for the main crop, 

 but in other particulars the crop should be treated the same 

 way, and the quickest maturing kinds only should be planted. If 

 the tubers for early sets are spread out in a light, warm room for 

 three or four weeks before planting, healthy green sprouts will 

 start from the eyes, and, if in cutting these sprouts are care- 

 fully handled so as not to break them off, the crop will be much 

 earlier than if the sets were not thus started; they may also be 

 started in a hotbed before or after being cut and afterwards 

 transplanted to the open ground; but these methods are seldom 

 practiced except in a very small way, although in some sections 

 they might perhaps be made profitable. 



Main Crop. — For the main crop of potatoes, it is desirable to 

 have the seed in the ground pretty early. It is customary in 

 this section to plant from the middle of May to the first of June. 

 When planted later they are liable to suffer seriously from 

 drought, and earlier planting is more desirable. The results of 

 many experiments show that the sets should be planted about 



