Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1851-04-17
[From the Albanr cultivator.l

from which the following is an extract You will re-
publish the extract here not as you think best.
think your readers may be benefited by having their
attention turned to the subject again:
editors CuItiuGtor: 1t has long been prevalent
opinion with our farmers that seed potatoes should be
selected from the largest and best. But gentleman
of my acquaintance, the owner of large farm In
the county of Worcester in the spring of lS4 found
his stock of large potatoes completely exhausted,
and from the general scarcity could not renew his
supply He then determined, from necessity, to
plant his fields with small ones, varying in size from
marble to a small pullet's egg, placing two or three
without cutting in each hill. The result
usually fine crop, in size, quantity, and quality.
Gin the spring of 1915 he repeated the experiment,
far as to plant alternate rows OF small ones and
large ones, cut into four five pieces was pres
ent when he was harvesting the crop, in the early
part of October and it evident that the produce
of the small potatoes exceeded that of the larger
ones. Should further experiment confirm the fact
that the small of greater or even oil equal value
for seed it will be of some importance 10 farmers.
M. b.
''Bererly, JIass, December, l648."
As the writer says, cit has long been prevalent
opinion with our farmers that the seed potatoes should
be selected from the largest and best" But who
has before made fair experiment TO ascertain the
facts? Since reading what yonr correspondent pub
lshed, my attention has been turned to the subject
and held to by my observation and experience In
cultiyang the sweet potato 1t is the common prac-
ce, as far as my observation extends, &c save and
use the smaller of the sweet potatoes for planting.
And from five years experience and observation
have obtained no evidence that the practice causes
deterioration TO size quality.
During the past season have made an experiment
with other potatoes using the kind variety called
the Neshanoc or Mercer. Side by side, on ground
treated alike and of like quality, as far as it pos
Sible to have it, we planted large potatoes and small
ones, separated from each other Both were planted
ha Ia cd fha la har
vested on the same day. The result is quite as large
an amount and quite good quality from the small
potatoes used in planting. Our son, Nj. NJ, In my
absence, dug equal number of hills, In parallel
rows, and called on me to decide between the heaps.
decided without hesitation as 10 the amount and
size. His mother was then called on, and her ready
decision agreed with mine. Our decision was in ia
vor of those which he said were dug where the small
er were planted. We then went on and dug the
whole. The result agreed with the appearance OF the
heaps first dug.
1t might seem to some like exaggeraton if we
should say the potatoes were more and better from
the small ones planted. We say that the quantity
not less. We think the proportion of small po-
atoeS tcGs less from the small potatoes planted than
from the large ones
that any mistake has been made. My own eyes have
been on the work, and my own hands in it, from be-
ginning to end-with the exception of the hgging of
the hills in the parallel by my son. before
mentioned At the time of planting, the stakes were
set and the facts written down. All has been done
with a careiulness that leaves not a doubt.
Ii is proper 10 say here that the contrast in the size
of the tubers planted was decided think that not
more than one-iourth at most one-third of the
amount In weight was planted where the smaller were
used. Of the large, only one potato was used in a
HILL the hills being about three feet apart each way.
of the smaller, also only single used, eX-
cept with the smallest when two used, the hills
being at the distance with the others, about
three feet apart each way.
The subject is worthy of attention. If equal quail
ity and quantity can be Produced on equal ground,
from the smaller OF the tuberS, il is time to have il
known. Hitherto it has been thought to be other
wise. | confess that am now looking for more gen
eral experience to confirm I'm this view. In
propagating plants from seeds, should still say, all
other things being equal lot US have the largest seeds
But propagating the potato from the tuber Cor what
one writer has called sprOut and others would per-
haps call GERM is another process. If we can
obtain good plant from the smaller tuber as from
the larger one, il is what we all need to know.
need not enumerate the advantages. They are ap-
parent. ORSON S. MURRAY.
Fruit Hills, Wdrrsn CO., o., Sept, 1850.
''SMALL PoTAToEs" FOR PLANTING.--In
the November number Of the Cultiyator is article
on this subject stating that superior crops have been
raised from the use of small potatoes for seed, and
asking further information.
Formerly, | believed in the common opinion that
large potatoes must be used for seed to insure good
crop; but in 1915, owing TO the failure Of the previ
GUS crop, was obliged to small ones, lar
ger than hens egg, and the result truly Surpr-
sing. The yield was about one hundred bushels from
half an acre of unmanured ground, and they were
almost uniformly of fine size. Many hills had none
that were so small as the largest planted.
But old opinions require a long time TO root them
out; and, since, my potato field has been
perimental one, to determine this point In no case
have been able TO decide that large potatoes were
better than small ones for planting. This year l
solved that the experiment should be decisive one
and therefore separated my potatoes, about half
dozen varieties planting first the large and then The
small of each ariey; but the rot has so nearly
destroyed the crop that the result could not be OBJ
served.
Some varieties of potatoes arc almost uniformly
small, with any cultivation they may receive, and
they also closely resemble of the best varieties
Now if the farmer allows any of the inferior kinds
TO mix with good ones, and plants only small ones,
the inferior varieties will obtain the superiority and
the crop will deteriorate.
A large proportion of the small potatoes which are
produced either the result of too much seed being
used cutvating the crop after the first set of u-
berS have formed, that another starts out of small
size.
The opinion, therefore, which / have formed is
that small potatoes of good variety al least
equally good with the large ones for seed.
t. S. GOLD.
Beautiful Sentiment.
John G. Whittier, the Quaker poet, in writing
about Irish emigrants among us says
"For myself, confess | feel sympathy for the
lrishman. | see him as the representative of gen
erous, warm-hearted, and cruelty oppressed people
no HE nafsv al