372 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 6, 
SECOND CROP SEED POTATOES. 
A reader in Missouri, wishes to know how 
to prepare and plant second-crop seed pota¬ 
toes. Last year he planted some of these 
potatoes, but most of the seed failed to 
sprout, or rotted. How should he handle the 
seed after digging the first crop? 
Second-crop seed potatoes should be 
stored in the sunlight (spread out flat) 
until thoroughly blued, then moved to 
barrels or bins in a warm place, when 
they will sprout shortly. As soon as 
sprouts show one-eighth of an inch long, 
plant. WALTER WALDIN. 
Florida. 
If the inquirer can depend on a good 
season in the ground at the time of plant¬ 
ing he can get a fair stand of second- 
crop potatoes by digging seed as soon as 
matured enough to germinate well, plac¬ 
ing them in a damp place out of the sun, 
but where plenty of air can get to them. 
I prefer placing them on the ground, but 
not in a heap, leaving them there two or 
three •weeks, at the end of which time, 
by carefully looking over the seed and 
picking those that show sign of sprout¬ 
ing, cut the largest ones, if preferred, 
and plant in well-prepared land, plowed 
up deep, but worked down firm. In this 
section, where it is almost always dry at 
that season, it is best to furrow out the 
ground fairly deep and cover seed with 
a hoe, putting about three to four inches 
of soil on it, pressing same down with 
hoe by placing foot on hill. 
Tennessee. w. h. list. 
I myself have' been unsuccessful in 
growing second-crop potatoes, and I lay 
it to the fact that I live in the Piedmont 
section, where the season is rather shorter 
than farther east. 1 expect your Mis¬ 
souri reader will fail on the same account. 
However, I will say that he might try a 
very early potato, planting as early as 
favorable conditions will permit; then, 
just as early as the potatoes are matured, 
dig seed and cut a piece (about one- 
fdurth) off the side of every potato he 
wants to plant. Spread them out thinly 
under a good shade tree or some other 
place where they will get plenty of light 
but not enough sunshine to scald them, 
and let them stay out 10 days or two 
weeks, when they will be ready for plant¬ 
ing. The clipping, or cutting of the seed 
makes them sprout better and gives a bet¬ 
ter stand. They must also be covered 
very shallow when planted. I have aban¬ 
doned the growing of second-crop pota¬ 
toes, because it pays me better to grow, 
by heavy and liberal fertilizing 500 or 600 
bushels per acre in one crop, and follow 
with Crimson clover, which grows very 
fine after potatoes. robt. m'anally. 
North Carolina 
Two of the most important points to 
observe carefully in growing this crop 
are the “seed” and the soil. Before dig- 
ing the first crop the tubers should be 
allowed to mature well. After digging, 
spread the tubers out thinly. where the 
air and light can strike them freely. 
This does not necessarily imply that the 
sun should shine on them, but I believe 
some sunshine is an advantage. The 
tubers should be allowed to turn slightly 
green, and the “eyes” show some sign of 
growth before planting time. It is often 
the case that growers in the extreme 
Southern States use the small tubers in 
planting for this crop. But I have had 
much better results by using the large 
well-matured tubers, cutting them lo 
two-eye pieces. I sprinkle them well with 
lime and then spread the pieces out to 
dry a day or two before planting. The 
cut surfaces then present a dry, corky 
appearance, which keeps the pieces from 
rotting badly before sprouting. The soil 
should be thoroughly prepared before 
planting. It is often the practice of 
some growers to keep the soil well pre¬ 
pared during late Spring and early Sum¬ 
mer, so that it will hold moisture well 
when planting time comes last of July. 
However, some early vegetable crop, like 
beans, or peas, could be grown on the 
soil in early Summer. If th soil is rich 
I have grown a good second crop on he 
same soil where I had harvested the first 
crop. The trench system has given me 
better results. Make the surface of the 
soil level and then make furrows about 
four inches deep, three feet apart, across 
the field, Plant the pieces 18 inches apart 
in the furrow, and cover with a plow. 
Run a light harrow over the ground just 
as the tops begin' to come through. This 
will smother the young weeds, break the 
crust of the soil and help to conserve the 
moisture. Use some early variety like 
the Rose or Triumph. R. H. price. 
Virginia. 
The best seed is grown on dry. lime¬ 
stone land in a dry year. The seed should 
be nearly or quite mature when dug. It 
will require three to four weeks to 
shrink, dry, and further ripen th.o seed 
after dug. The common practice is to 
spread the seed after digging under trees 
to facilitate ripening, and it remains there 
until needed to plant. In planting such 
large quantities this practice may be un¬ 
avoidable. If we keep in mind the main 
idea, that we want to shrink, dry and 
predispose the seed to sprout, it will 
probably occur to one that the rain that 
sometimes falls on the seed thus spread 
would hinder that process. It does, and 
you want the potato dry from digging to 
planting. I do not think any process is 
known for sprouting a freshly-dug green 
potato. If it requires three to four weeks 
curing it bars the growth of this crop 
north of Tennessee, except as the climate 
on the eastern coast may duplicate that of 
Tennessee. Seed a wet season of growth 
requires longer curing, and seed that has 
taken second growth requires still more 
time, or is to be a - oided. We have found 
potatoes cured for seed under the shade 
of trees unfit for shipment, after a few 
rains, where seed kept dry was all right, 
under the same trees. Early digging of 
the first crop gives a more favorable 
seed bed for a second crop by enabling 
us to cidtivate and stop the loss of moist¬ 
ure, that is then very rapid. Loosen the 
soil after every rain, for a hot sun on a 
solid soil carries the heat deep into it. 
Never cut a potato until ready to plant 
it. Some of the growers at Mobile, Ala., 
refuse to cut at all. They rot, they say. 
The soil is probably too wet wlien th~y 
plant. If they tried to get the soil too 
dry for planting they might hit it right. 
The fact that they rot is a key to the 
situation. Wet weather directly after 
planting is a special dread of the planter 
here, from just that cause, rot. The 
Triumph rots less, and sprouts slower 
than any iother potato I have tried. 
Probably the best way in all cases to 
prevent rot would be to plant corn with 
the potatoes to mark the row, and plow 
the corn with narfow, long, keen calf- 
tongues, and let the air to the potato. 
The grower who waits for the potatoes to 
mark the row before cultivation begins 
is almost sure to make a failure. Cut 
out corn when potatoes get up. If we 
plant in too wet a soil there is no chance 
to air the potato by cultivation, because 
the seed will rot in six days, or even less. 
The normal rainfall at Mobile would 
probably correspond with a wet season 
here, and the hot water trouble we have. 
In case of a thoroughly saturated soil 
it will require 10 days or more to get 
the soil dry enough. Ground full of sod 
or cane roots, or anything that will act 
as a divisor of the soil, and let the air 
in, is of first importance. Rich garden 
soil a wet season for planting is inferior 
to new soil filled with trash, and could be 
improved by filling with half-rotted 
straw. I have not discussed the trouble 
of a dry year. There is less to be said. 
If the season is too dry to sprout the 
seed 1 cannot helo it. There are three 
ways of warding off drought: Cultiva¬ 
tion, irrigation, and mulching. Mulching 
shortens the growing season by rendering 
the crop susceptible to frost. Just when 
the crop is doubling and trebling, it 
shortens the important end of the grow¬ 
ing season. The reader may get an ex¬ 
aggerated idea from reading the above 
of the trouble in growing a second crop. 
I have seen fields in a year of good 
rainfall, where the stand was so good 
and the vines so rank you could not tell 
where the rows were. w. h. s. 
Thompson Station, Tenn. 
Cost ok Spraying. —I have never used the 
lime and sulphur mixture. I make Bordeaux 
Mixture and use on nearly all my fruit, from 
a currant bush to an apple tree. For 50 
gallons of this I use five pounds of blue vit¬ 
riol, which costs about six cents per pound, 
or 30 cents; lime enough to be same at a 
cost of say two cents, costing 32 cents for 
50 gallons. After the first spraying I add 
white arsenic, one-quarter pound to 50 gal¬ 
lons, costing when ready for use about five 
cents; 37 cents total cost for 50 gallons, 
about three-quarter cent per gallon. This I 
estimate would be sufficient thoroughly to 
spray 25 fair-sized apple trees. Allowing 
two gallons to each tree, costing 1% cent 
per tree, the labor as I do it with a barrel 
pump with hand power, two men and team, 
would get over at least 100 trees of fair 
size in 10 hours, or one day’s time (making 
their own mixture). To do this there should 
be a quantity of the vitriol ready for use and 
also of lime, and arsenic. Allowing $1.50 for 
200 gallons of the mixture and $4.50 for men 
and team you have $6 cost for 100 trees. I 
think a good, thorough job may be done for 
this, amount. I presume large orchardists, 
who have power pumps and power to run 
them, may do it cheaper, but I never thought 
it advisable for me to invest so much money 
in an outfit. v, s. v, e. 
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