12 
WAR GARDENING 
DIRECTIONS FOR VEGETABLE GROWING 
POTATOES 
As one of the staple needs of the household Potatoes are entitled to special attention in 
Home Gardening and Community Gardening. In selecting for seed it is desirable to choose 
medium to large, smooth, shallow-eyed potatoes. The best seed will produce the best crop. 
Potatoes grow best in sandy loam or in a gravel loam. Heavy, sticky clay or loose sand is not 
desirable soil. Potatoes should not be grown in the same place in the garden in which they 
were grown the previous year. A rotation of three or four years is desirable. 
Preparation of the soil should be done with care. The ground should be worked with 
plow, spade and hoe, to a depth of 8 or 10 inches, and should be thoroughly broken up or 
pulverized, then thoroughly worked with a steel-toothed rake. This preparation is of great 
importance and should not be slighted. Attention to details is necessary to success. 
Treat Seed for Scab 
One of the most common diseases affecting 
seed potatoes is scab. This attacks the skin 
of the potato, causing it to thicken, and giving 
it a scabby appearance. It is carried through 
the winter, in soil, in manure and on the po- 
tatoes themselves. To control this affection 
it is important that potatoes should be ro- 
tated with other crops as to location, and the 
same soil not used for potatoes except at 
intervals of three or four years. A simple 
remedy, easily applied, is to soak the seed 
potatoes before planting, in a solution of 
Formalin and water. This solution is made 
of 1 ounce of Formalin (40 per cent formalde- 
hyde), mixed in 2 gallons of water. In this 
mixture soak the uncut potatoes for two 
hours, and spread them out to dry. The 
solution can be used on as many lots of 
potatoes as desired. 
Seed potatoes should be spread out in a. 
room in which they will be exposed to strong 
light for two weeks before cutting, to start 
sprouts and detect poor seed. If large po- 
tatoes are used cut them into pieces weighing 
from 1 to 2 ounces, each piece having at least 
two eyes. If potatoes are scarce and expen- 
sive the pieces may be cut to a single eye. 
Do not cut the seed until it is to be planted. 
Planting 
For planting, prepare trenches or furrows 
from 3 to 5 inches deep and from 24 to 36 
inches apart. Plant seed pieces 3 inches 
deep for early potatoes and 5 inches for late 
varieties. The seed pieces should be 14 to 
18 inches apart in rows, the smaller the pieces 
the closer the planting. Fill the trench with 
dirt, firming it in order that the moisture may 
be brought in contact with the seed pieces 
to assist in the process of germination. 
Usually potatoes should not be planted as 
late as the first week in July very 
far north of the Mason and Dixon 
line except in sections where it is 
known that they will mature 
before freezing weather arrives. 
Cultivation 
As soon as the potato plants 
come up begin cultivating them. 
The cultivation should begin be- 
fore they come up if a crust forms. 
Cultivate or hoe every week during the 
season, to keep the surface in good condition. 
When the plants are young work the soil up 
around them to support the plants. 
Potatoes are subject to diseases and in- 
sects which are scheduled on page 21. Take 
precautions to keep these from getting a 
start. Follow instructions as to spraying 
Fig. 15 — On the left is shown tuber sprouted in warm, 
dark storage place. Such spouts sap vitality and 
decrease yield. On the right is green sprouted tuber. 
By this latter method the tuber retains its vitality 
and a good yield is insured. 
and keep at it during the season. It is 
better to spray before trouble appears than 
to take chances. 
Dig early potatoes when they are of the 
size desired. Late potatoes, for storing, 
should not be dug until the leaves and stems 
are dead, or until the skin is so firm that it 
may not easily be rubbed off. 
Fig. 14 — Properly cut seed potatoes. Each'piece has two good eyes 
and is about the size of a hen’s egg. 
