Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1917-05-04
Department Of Agriculture Gives
Method Of Reducing Cost Of
Seed When Prices Are Soaring
to Present Level.
n HANY persons. prompted by the
Nl high price Of Irish potatoes.

IL
have written to the United
States department Of agriculture ask
ting 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 prof
liable way Of utilizing idle land or as u
crop which repaTs them In whole or in
part, for the cost and trouble of keep
ind down weeds and giving a more or
derby appearance to their properties
point out that good seed potatoes are
scarce and high in price and ask wheth
er there Is not some method Of rcduc.
ing the cost for seed for their plots or
half acres.
The cost Of seeding, the garden spe
cialists Of the department point out
can be greatly reduced If instead of
using a whole potato for planting the
gardener will cut out from potatoes
cone ShOped pieces Of flesh, each con-
tanning an eye of the potato. In this
way only one-fourth to one-tifth of the
flesh of the potato will be needed to
provide seed and the remainder of the
potato can be cooked for table use
These cones range from Onetifth to
One-Seventh of an ounce in weight,
whereas under the usual methods the
sets range from three-fourths to two
ounces in weight. A gardener under
ordinary conditions will get best re-
suits by using fifteen to eighteen bush
els, or 900 to 1850 pounds Of potatoes
TO the acre. This method Of preparing
sets therefore, should make available
for table use over 675 pounds Of pota-
to flesh which under ordinary cOndi-
lions would be planted per acre.
Two Bushels For so by 100 Foot
Plot.
To plant a plot so by 100 feet, or
approximately one-ninth of an acre.
at the same rate Of seeding would call
for one and two-thirds to two bushels
OF seed planted in the ordinary way.
The method Of using the cones and
eyes and cooking the remainder of the
deSh therefore becomes a worth while
economy even when u small area is to
be planted.
Under this plan it is not necessary to
prepare the seed all at one time. From
day TO day the cones for seeding can
be cut from the potatoes as they are
being prepared for the table The cut,
tings then should be spread out on
piece of paper in moderately cool
room about so degrees Fahrenheit and
allowed to remain there until they have
&:nEed-that is, until the cut surface has
soecome dry. A day or two should suf-
dee for this, and potatoes then should
De put In a shallow box or tray and
placed where it Is still cooler Any
storage condition that will insure them
Sxainst frost on the one hand and I'M
due Shriveling on the other should
prove satisfactory.
These seeds can be started indoors.
provided it Is possible to secure suit
able s0h and boxes. In such cases 1t
may be desirable to plant the eye cut
x1ngs at once and allow them to 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 Sets Require More Care.
The smaller the size Of the set or
seed piece used the more thorough must