Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-26
Y persons prompted by tn


AVA have written to the U. >. De-
partment 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
a crop which repays them, in whole
or in part, for the cost and trouble of
keeping down weeds and giving a 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, instead
of using u whole potato for planting,
the gardener will cut out from po-
tatoes cone-shaped pieces of fiesh.-
each containing an eye of the potato.
In this way only from one-fourth to
one-fifth 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
one-fifth 10 one-seYenth of an ounce
in weight. whereas, under the usual
methods, the sets range from three
fourtbs 10 two ounces in weight. A
gardener. under ordinary conditions,
will ge' best results by using to Is
bushels or 900 to 1880 pounds of po-
tatoes TO the acre This method of
preparing sets, therefore, should make
available for table use over SIS
pounds OF potato flesh which. under
ordinary conditions, would be planted
per acre
To plant Il plot so 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 n worth
while economy even when q small
area is 10 he planted
Under this plan il is not necessary
10 prepare the seed all at one time.
From day 10 day the cones for seed
ing can be cut from the potatoes as
they are being prepared for the table.
The cuttings then should be spread
out on a piece of paper in moder-
ately cool room (about so degrees F.)
and allowed to remain there until they
have cured, that is, until the cut sur
face has become dry A day OF 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
hand and undue shriveling on the
other should prove satisfactory.
~ These seeds can be started indoors,
rNproYided it is possible to secure suit
able soil and boxes In such cases it
! may be desirable to plant the eye cut
/ tings 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 Sized Sets Require More Care
Tho smaller the size of the set, or
seed piece, used the more thorough
must be the preparation of the soil.
The more finely the soil is pulverized
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 it
self A small set in rough, lumpy, or
dried-out soil has little chance to live,
let alone make a crop.
Generally speaking, the smaller the
size of the set, the closer it should
be planted in the row IL maximum
yields are to be secured. Such sets
may be expected to give the best
Yields if not spaced more than 10 to
IL inches apart in the row.
How TO Grow Potatoes
Successful potato growing, the gar
den specialists advise their corre-
spondents, hinges largely on the fol-
lowing factors: -
Z I. Good land, we'll prepared.
>. Abundance of available plant
food and moisture.
3. Selection of proper varieties.
4. Good seed and good tillage
5. Thorough protection of the plants
against insect and fungous pests
Preparing Soil for Potatoes
The types of soil in which the no
tato plant thrives best are those desig-
mated as sandy or gravelly loam soils
Tt may be grown with a fair degree
of success on any type of soil except
loose, sand and a heavy. sticky clay
soil, provided the land is we'll drained
and contains the necessary plant food.
Successful potato production is de-