134 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
May, 1917 
Directions on Growing Potatoes 
in the Garden. 
Prof. J. G. Milward. 
On good, fertile gardens, pota- 
toes should be planted close, rows 
approximately two feet apart 
and the hills about one foot apart 
in the row. 
The soil should be spaded deep, 
thoroughly pulverized, and 
worked with garden tools. The 
potato crop likes a deep, cool, 
fertile and well drained sandy 
loam soil, but will grow satisfac- 
torily in most gardens of the state. 
Stable manure may be used if well 
cut up and mixed with the soil 
at the time of spading. 
Early varieties are preferred 
for the garden, as such stock can 
be used for table purposes late in 
July, August, and September, be- 
fore the main commercial crop of 
the state comes on. Early Ohio 
and Triumph are preferred for 
early, and the Rural New Yorker 
for late. 
Cut seed tubers into blocky 
pieces (not thin slices), at least 
one good, strong eye to the piece. 
Seed tubers exposed to light a few 
days before planting will start 
strong, stubby sprouts, and it is 
desirable to plant seed in this 
condition. Seed pieces should 
run approximately one and one- 
half to two ounces in size. Small 
potatoes, (3 or 4 ounces), may be 
cut lengthwise in halves. 
Potatoes are commonly planted 
with a hoe, one seed piece to each 
hill. Plant from 3 to 4 inches 
deep. It is also satisfactory to 
make a furrow with the hoe or 
garden tool three to four inches 
deep and then drop the seed 
pieces every foot and cover 
promptly. 
Rake the potato patch after 
planting and after rains. Pre- 
vent crust from forming by use of 
rake or garden cultivator. When 
plants come up, cultivate care- 
fully, keeping the surface soil 
mellow and compact around the 
plants. On clay loam gardens, 
the potato patch should be kept 
fairly level. During early sum- 
mer and after vines become larg- 
er, the soil may be ridged and 
moulded slightly arouud the 
hills. Be careful not to cut into 
hills deeply with hoe or garden 
tools. 
On small gardens, it is advis- 
able to pick the old potato 
beetles by hand from the vines as 
soon as they appear. Clusters of 
potato beetle eggs may also be 
pinched off. Should the eggs 
hatch, however, the young bugs 
can be killed by the use of one 
tablespoonful of Paris green to a 
pail of water. Paris green may 
also be used in the dry form by 
diluting with equal parts of 
flour, land plaster, or air slaked 
lime. 
How About Sod Land For a 
Garden? 
This question is asked again 
and again. The professional gar- 
dener who is satisfied with noth- 
ing less than deep loam manured 
to the limit every year will say 
that it can’t be done. Managers 
of Garden Clubs in many cities 
will tell you it can be done be- 
cause they have done it. 
Much depends on the prepara- 
tion of the soil for planting. 
Tough June grass sod of years’ 
standing simply plowed and 
scratched with a harrow makes a 
mighty poor foundation for a gar- 
den. The grass turned under 
serves to shut off the water sup- 
ply and the tough grass roots hin- 
der cultivation, but if this same 
sod is thoroughly chewed up 
by a disk and then dragged or 
raked level removing the larger 
clumps of grass brought to the 
surface it provides a fine seed 
bed. If possible, a heavy coat 
of manure should be applied 
before plowing, but very good 
results may be had without 
it. Quack grass sod is the Avorst 
of all to handle, but even this is 
not hopeless, just more Avork, 
that’s all. 
Training Tomatoes. 
Tomato plants may be planted 
one foot apart in the toav or even 
less if trained to a single stem. 
The plants may be tied to stakes 
or to stout string. Instead of 
filling the garden with a forest of 
stakes, which must be at least 2 
x 2 inches if a stake is used for 
each plant, set small posts 16 ft. 
apart along the roAv and fasten 
2x4 scantling to their top and 
bottom. The tomato plants can 
then be tied to strings attached to 
the scantling. The expense is 
considerable but this structure is 
the frameAvork of a trellis that 
can be used for many years and 
for a great variety of plants. 
If the plants are trained to 
three or more stems tAvo feet apart 
is close enough and individual 
stakes are best. 
As soon as Ave begin to prune a 
tomato plant Ave set for ourselves 
a big task aud oue that demands 
close attention every day to the 
\ r ery end of the season. 
It is not, hoAvever, a laborious 
task, nor does it require but a 
feAV minutes a day. Sprouts 
Avhich will appear in the axil of 
every leaf must be removed. 
When the plant reaches the de- 
sired height cut off its head. 
The training system is almost a 
necessity in small gardens. 
