Sharp County record., 1918-07-12
MUST PLANT LATE
IRISH POTATOES
Potatoes From the Early Crop Can
Not Successfully Be Kept Over
During Hot Summer Months.
]. S. Knox, Hortculturist, Extension
Division, y. of A.

Even though Arkansas has what is
supposed to be the largest Irish potato
crop in its history, it must be remem.
bered that potatoes from the early
crop can not successfully be kept over
the hot months of summer. Every
family must, therefore, plant a late
crop for a winter use or take q
chance on doing without potatoes be-
cause with the transportation facilities
of the railroads overburdened there is
doubt whether or not we can get cars
to haul potatoes into our State. We
must not burden our railroads by i'm
porting potatoes this year. The late
crop Of Irish potatoes is the important
one for the Sauttern farmer because
potatoes from this crop can be stored
easily over the winter or even until
the spring crop is ready for use, Po-
tatoes from the late crop are also ex-
cellent to use as seed for planting the
early crop. The yield from the late
| crop is not generally very good yet
it will require only one-fourth to one
half acre Of ground to produce all OF
the potatoes that the average family
will need.
The following suggestions may be
helpful to those who wish to plant a
late crop of potatoes: About two to
three weeks before the potatoes are
to be planted they should be placed in
semi-shady location, piled not more
than four inches deep, then covered
over with straw, leaves or old sacks.
This should be kept moist until the po-
tatoes begin to sprout. AS soon as
the sprouts are one-fourth Of an inch
long it is time to plant the potatoes.
In planting it is a good idea to cover
the potatoes as soon as possible after
dropping because the extreme heat of
the summer sun may damage them,
Since the soil is generally rather dry
at planting time for the late crop, 1t Is
considered best to plant the potatoes
little deeper than is required for the
early crop. The deep planting insures
more abundant supply of moisture
| for the plasts and at the same time
the deeper soil is some cooler than the
surface soil. It is true, however, that
even though the seed pieces are plant.
ed deep the young potatoes will often
| form near the surface Of the ground
Remember that If you step on each
piece Of potato as It Is planted It will
be brought in direct contact with the
soil, thus insuring more moisture for
sprouting. This, Of course, is practical
only on a small scale. The planting
should be done from July Is to August
l. However, some prefer to delay
planting until August 10. This may be
all right for certain years, but our
farmers lost several thousand bushels
last fall because Of late planting and
early frost, The later the crop can
be planted, the better, just so II has
time TO mature before frost, but It Is
generally considered safer to plant at
the earlier date. We can't afford to
lose our crops this yea~ because the
South needs them,
Cultivation for the late crop does
not differ from that Of the early plant.
!, ed crop. The surface Of the soil must
be kept well stirred. The cultivation
will keep the soil from becoming ex'
cessively hot beneath the area culti'
waited by allowing the air to circulate
more readily between the, soil parti'
cles. In case Of heavy rain cultivate
az soon afterwards as the soil IL suf'
flccntly dry, DO not cultivate pota'
toes when the vines are wet, since by
40 doing you may spread disease, Some
diseases spread very readily when
moisture is present,
The late blight which often causes
great loss In this second crop can
be controlled almost completely by the
use Of Bordeaux mixture The dying
of leaves Is often spoken Of as tip
burn or sun.seald but Bordeaux mix
ture greatly lessons the damage done
Az soon as the crop Is mature. II
should be dug and placed in n COO
cellar or banked out IN the open,
Some OF our farmers store the crop IN
banks successfully, A welldraIned 10
cation should be selected and q slight
mound made, over this place layer
of dry straw or leaves, Pile the pota
toes on this In cone shape, having
some form of ventlator through them
Next cover thoeo with n layer of straw
or leaves; over this pht u layer OF eoil
very shallow at first but deeper Os The
weather gets cold Cover no that tho
potatoes will not get wet and freeze
Il Ia beat to place only twenty I,
+ | thiFtV huphbig in n hhhn