The Tupelo journal., 1917-06-29
Second Crop Irish Potatoes.
BY H. M. COTTRELL,

Is I H.. MI. COIIRELLJ
Agriculturist of Memphis Chamber of Commerce Farm Bureau.
There should be an acre of Irish potatoes planted in July
on every small farm in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.
Large farms should plant one acre in Irish potatoes for each 80
acres in cultivation. The crop will be needed at home to take
the place of flour and meal. Good seed and a moist, fine soil
at planting time are essential to the production of profitable
yields.
Seed-There is no seed in cold storage. Most of the plant
ing will have to be made from seed saved from the spring plant
ed crop. Small potatoes planted whole take "a bushels an acre:
When seed is cut IL to ii bushels will plant an acre. Most
growers will get enough higher yields from whole seed to make
it advisable to use it.
Saving Seed From First Crop-Dig the first crop when the
vines become golden and before they begin to die. Dig late in
the day or on a cloudy day. Pick up the potatoes as fast as
dug SO that direct sunlight will not strike Them. Select potatoes
the size of a hens egg or smaller for seed. Put the seed pota-
toes the first night where they will become well cooled. The
next morning spread them out in a layer six inches deep on a
cool, dry surface, where they will not be exposed to direct sum
light and where the ventilation is good. If they can be stored
where a breeze will blow over them it will help. A well venti-
lated loft or gangway are good places. Some Of the largest
growers clear the ground under low spreading trees and spread
the pototoes on the cleared places. The potatoes should be
barely covered with clean, dry soil, free from grass or trash, or
lightly with straw o similar material. Where potatoes are
spread on the ground they must be thoroughly protected with
bitches, as n water should run over them. Keep the potatoes
dry the first two weeks of curing. Keep the covering moist the
last two weeks to hasten sprouting.
It requires about 80 days of this treatment to cure potatoes
for planting. Inmany towns are small cold storage plants and
fresh dug potatoes may be put in cold storage 80 days to cure
them for planting.
Preparing the Ground-Begin to prepare the ground in
June. Disk r cultivate the land until the top three inches are
fine. PIow deep and harrow at once. Work the ground every
week until planting time. There should not be even small
clods and the soil should be in good condition Of moisture or it
is a waste to plant.
Planting-Plant on a cloudy day so that neither the fur
row or the seed will become dry. Thoroughly disk or Guilt
vate the land before planting it. Make each row BY opening .
furrow six inches deep. Drop the seed in moist soil and cover
Immediately to a depth of three inches. Make the rows three
feet apart and drop seed six to 10 inches apart IN the row.
Where fertilizer is needed apply 400 pounds per acre Of
a mixture Of one-thnd acid phosphate, twothirds cottonseed
meal. In the latitude Of Memphis and Little Rock plantins may
be made the middle Of July and in Central Mississippi the mid
die of August.
Observation-Disclosures once q week from the time the po
tatoes are planted, gradually filing the furrow n which the
seed was planted. Leave the field level at the last cultivation.