THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19384, 20 July 1926, Page 16

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

PLANTING EARLY POTATOES. Many people can grow early potatoes whereas they have, no available spuce foi the main crop and later kinds. In fact, some gardeners consider earliness one of the most important points in growing this tuber. It certainly is worth while to have an early crop because they come in when potatoes are dear. Besides new potatoes provide a welcome change from those which have been stored. To obtain early potatoes one must use fair quantities of superphosphate, sprouted sets, and sets of varieties that mature quickly. Preparing the Soil. The most suitable soil for potatoes is a good rich loam. It is advisable to change the position of the potato plot each year or as often as possible. Ihe site for early potatoes should be warm and- dry with a maximum amount of sunshine, for the potato does not thrive in a damp shaded position. After having prepared the plot some time previous to planting by digging under stable manure, the soil is' left fallow in a rough state until the planting takes place. When the time for this draws near the plot should be forked over at least twice, as this helps to break down any lumps, and improves the tilth of the soil. During the last cultivation before planting some fertiliser may be worked under to advantage. For this purpose the mixture of ISOZ. of blood and bone, of superphosphate, and £oz. of sulphate of potash to the square yard is suitable. Anothei mixture which will serve this purpose equally well, consists of ISOZ. of superphosphate, of sulphate of potash and foz. bl sulphate of ammonia to the square yard. Planting Operations. When the ground is ready for planting, drills about 28in. apart are opened up to the sun. This allows the ground to be well warmed for the quick development of the sprouts. The sets are placed in the drills • when these "are opened up, so that tli6y also receive the benefit of the sun's rays. - The sets should be about 2oz. in weight or about the size of an average hen's egg. If they are larger they may be cut, but this is not an advisable practice for early potatoes, as the wet condition of the soil is liable to rot cut seed. The sets are planted from twelve to eighteen inches apart and from three to five inches deep. Another method of planting sometimes adopted is to make holes with a dibble and drop the sets into s thein. This method is .not nearly as efficient as the drills because one cannot utilise the sun s rays to warm the soil in the holes. Moreover the dibble is liable to compact the soil and form a waterhole so that this method should be applied only to very light soils. Furthermore the sets are likely to be suspended in the holes at different depths so that the plants would appear above ground very erratically. Tnis would make spraying and ridging at the right time very difficult. Another objection to the dibble method is that sprouts are likely to be broken off when the sets are dropped in the holes. A third method of planting often adopted in England is as follows: —A spade-deep trench is taken out, the subsoil loosened up, and a row of sets placed on it. The next spit of surface is dug and thrown oyer the sets. The subsoil of this spit is then loosened and one or two more spits are treated similarly. Then another row of sets may be put in, according to the desired distance between the rows. This method allows the potato to have loose soil both below and above it. This forms an excellent medium in which a spreading plant like the potato can develop to the best of its ability. Subsequent Cultivation.

The secret of potato culture consists in the constant stirring up of the soil. From the moment the shoots appear above the f round the plot should be kept constantly oed or forked. By breaking up all lumps and loosening soil with a tendency to settle one gives the plants a chance to produce a crop of maximum-sized and best shaped tubers. When the shoots are about 4in. high they are sprayed with Bordeaux, Burgundy or Vermorite. This should be continued at intervals of say, three or four weeks. Shortly after the first spraying the potatoes should be earthed up by means of a hoe. The ridges should be maintained throughout. Sometimes they are neglected and as a result some of the tubers become exposed. Sometimes also the ground becomes caked and cracks appear in the neglected ridges. These cracks give the potato moth access to the tubers so that the crop may become useless. When Bin. or 9Ln. high the shoots should be thinned out to iour or five of the strongest. This does not reduce the crop as it would seem. Rather it increases the yield because there is less waste as the tubers on the shoots that remain receive the energy that would otherwise have been used to produce a lot of medium-sized and small tubers.