Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1852-03-17
Frnis the Farm journal
Large Seel Potatoes vs. Small.

Large Seel potatoes vs. Sm1u.
Mr.. EDITOR The question Of large
versus small potatoes for seed, seems at
present to engage large Stare of atten-
tien in several Of our agricultural journals.
Perhaps statement of an experiment on
4 larger scale than usual will be of interest
ut this time. In the fall Of 1913 | mea-
sured off two acres of ground and had it
deeply plowod. The soil is warm sandy
loa'n, with deep sandy sabsol, and was
at the time Of plowing, down 70. timothy
meadow, three years from the sowing. 1t
was ploxed In the fall for the purpose of
exterminatisg the cut worm, which aboun-
ded The following April we hauled up
on it one hundred two horse wagon loads
Of we'll rotted barnyard manure, spread it
evenly and plowed nine inches deep and
three feet apart, and planted with fine large
Neshannock potatoes, chosen and preserv-
ed carefully for the parpose. The pota-
toes were cut and planted at the rate of
twenty bushels to the acre The large
seed was insufficient to conplete the plant
Lag and We were forced to have recourse
to the culls, about the size of walnuts.-
The whole patch was planted in one day.
The plants came up well, and were work
cd with the eultivator. No apparent diff
ference between the large and small seed,
(Sbout quarter Of an acre. We were
surprised to find the potatoes so large and
the yield SO good, it having been favorite
theory Of mine that the largest potatoes
alone should be planted, to make a good
return. We measured carefully several
rows, and made large calculations on the
probable yield of the large seed. Judge
shcn OF car surprise, when measuring sew
eral rows Of the latter, to find that they fell
little short of the former, bo;h i'll guam.
tity and quality.
Another acre and half VIC planted a
few days later than the first patch, Oh deep
alluvial SOIL in very careless manner and
entirely with the smallest potatoes, produ-
eed as fne lot of large potatoes as have
ever seen. The yield Of the two acres was
400 bushels, and of the one and half
acres 200.
In 1850 lost all of my seed potatoes
BY storing too large quantity together
and seed being very scarce in this neigh
borhood, was forced to plant such as
could be purchased, red potatoes, large
and small mixed. | planted Oh newly
cleared land at the rate of nine bushels to
the acre, and had much better crop than
could have been expected from the quan-
i.ty of seed, viz; 500 Hundred bushels from
three acres. We sorted out all the small
ones, about the .ixe Of walnuts and hen
eggs, for seed, and in April, 1851, plant
cd Il acres of rich new land ia rows three
feet apart, ,and at the rate of nineteen bush
els to the acre, potatoes whole, or when an
unusually large one occurred, cut in two.
When dug, they We're assorted on the ground
the large ones sent to market and the small
ones stored for seed. measured careful
BY the product of one acre, and found 800
bushels, of which one fourth were culls and
the other three fourths the best quality of
ns,rehansable potatoes; and as such they
commanded high price in market will
also mention, that my potatoes have never
been infected with the rot, except in one
or two spots where the water of spring
occasionally flowed over the ground after
heavy rains, although my neighbors for
several years past, until the present sea
son, have lost nearly their entire crops.
do not pretend to assign any reason for my
exemption from the scourge, except per
haps, early planting.
Yours respectfully,
PAUL A. WAY.
.Sr,ricklcy TaXey. lam. II. 1852.