South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-03-21
How to Grow Irish
Potatoes in Vacant
Lots and City Yards
BY Government Expert.

written 20 the United States depart
ment Of agriculture asking how to
grow them successfully in their back
yards or in vacant lots in their
neighborhOods. Others. who in the
past have raised potatoes as profit
able way OF utilizing idle land or
as crop which repays them. in
whole or in part, for the cost and
trouble in keeping down weeds and
giving more orderly appearance to
their properties. point out that good
seed potatoes are scarce and high in
price, and ask whether there is not
some method Of reducing the cost
for seed for their plots or half
acres.
The cost of seeding. the garden
specialists of the department point
out, can be greatly reduced if. in
stead of using a whole potato for
planting. the gardener will cut out
from potatoes coneshaped pieces of
flesh, each containing an eve of the
| potato. In this way only from one
fourth TO one-ffth of the flesh of
the potato will be needed 10 provide
seed and the remainder Of the pota-
10 can be cooked for table use. These
cones range from one-fifth 70 one
seventh of an ounce in weight.
whereas, under the usual methods,
the sets ranged from three-fourths
to two ounces in weight. A gardener,
under ordinary conditions, will get
best results by using 5 20 Is bush
els. or 900 TO 1.OSO pounds of pota-
toes 10 the acre This method Of pre-
pairing sets, therefore. should make
available for table use over 675
I pounds OF potato flesh which, under
ordinary conditions, would be plant
ed per acre.
To plant a plot 80 by 100 feet. or
approximately one-ninth of an acre,
at the same rate of seeding would
call for / % 10 bushels of seed,
/ planted in the ordinary way. The
method OF using the cones and eyes
and cooking the remainder of the
/ flesh, therefore, becomes a worth
while economy even when a small
area is TO be planted.
Under this plan il is not necessary
! TO prepare the seed all at one time.
| From day TO day the cones for seed
/ ing can be cut from the potatoes as
they are being prepared for the
table. The cutting then should be
/ spread out on a piece of paper in a
moderately cool room (about so de-
grees F. and allowed to remain
there until they have cured,
that is, until the cut surface has
! become dry. A day or two should
suffice for this, and potatoes then
should be put in a shallow box or
tray and placed where it is still
cooler. Any storage condition that
will insure them against frost on the
one hand and undue shriveling on
the other should prove satisfactory
These seeds can be started in
doors. provided il is possible to Sc
cure suitable soil and boxes. In such
cases it may be desirable TO plant
the eye cuttings at once, and allow
them 10 start into growth indoors
with the idea of transplanting them
into the open ground when danger
of frost is past and the ground is
dry enough TO be cultivated.
Small ScIS mcguire NlOFe
The smaller the size OF the set.
or seed piece. used the more thor
ough must be the preparation of the
soil. The more finely the soil is pull
verified and the more uniform the
moisture conditions which can be
| preserved in the soil. the better is
the chance for the small seed piece
TO establish itself A small set in
rough. lumpy. or dried-out soil has
little chance to live. let alone make
a crop.
Generally speaking. the smaller
size of the set. the closer IL should
be planted in the row if maximum
yields are to be secured Such sets
may he expected 10 give the best
yields if not spaced more than 10 10
IL inches apart in the row.
Successful potato growing. the
garden specialists advise their cor
respondents, hinges largely on the
following factors:
/ Good land. well prepared.
Abundance of available plant food
and moisture.
Selection of proper varieties.
Good seed and good tillage.
Thorough protection Of the plants
against insect and fungous pests.
Preparing soil for Potatoes.
The types Of soil in which the po-
I tato plant thrives best are those
designated as sandy or gravelly loan
soils. II may be grown with a fair
/ degree of success on any type Of soil
except loose sand and heavy.
sticky clay soil. provided the land
/ is we'll drained and contains the nee
! essary plant food.
| Successful potato production is
| dependent 70 a large extent on the
| thoroughness with which the land is
prepared before planting the crop.
Y Where a horse can be used. the land
should be plOwed from eight TO ten
inches deep, provided the surface
soil is Of a sufficient depth 10 permit
\ IT, II is never advisable 70 turn up
more than one inch Of raw subsoil
at any one blowing, 50 If previous
plowings have not been over six
/ inches the maximum depth at which
/ il should be plowed is seven inches.
Where hand labor is employed.
/ the same rule should govern as 10