The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-12-28
Seiectiny seed Potatoes.

Some farmers, and practical ones, too
contend that slips and inferior ol
small potatoes will produce as good {
crop as those propagated from large anC
perfect potatoes. My small amount o
experience has led me TO believe thai
propagating from poor potatoes is the
cause of the deterioration which now
exists in our potato crops.
l do not pretend to deny that good
large and fine looking 2potatOes can bt
raised from small potatoes, but / am
thoroughly convinced that if this prac'
tice is followed for n series of years
without change, it will result in fall
ing off, both in the size of the pota-
toes and the yield per acre of the crop
or in other words the crop will run out
This practice accounts lin my mind) fol
the fact that with such farmers as pur'
sue it there is a necessity, absolute ne
cesSity, for a frequent (say every three
or four years. change of seed If the
proper yield Is to be kept up.
Throughout all the other operations
of the farm the old saying that like
begets like" is everywhere strength
ened, and / cannot see why potatoes
should 1Oru an eACtptiOh'
Fully nine-tenths ofthose farmers who
propagate from small and inferior pota'
toes, are very particular IN the seiec'
ton of their seed corn, and will have
none but the very best which they can
procure; and yet can raise on the same
.-round. aud with exactly The same
treatment, crop of corn taken from
nubbins or second quality, as they can
bring, but yet / would not argue IN
favor of using inferior corn for seed, fol
! am certain that u deterioration In the
Weld and the quality of the crop would
ensuc from such n practice, and THINK
that the same reasoning viii apply to
the potato.
| consider that potatoes are econom'
ical in small feeds for milch cows, pigs
or fattening steers, and as small ones
are as good for this purpose as those
which are larger, they may be selected
leaviBg the larger ones for sale and
seed.
1t has bean proven by those who have
observed the facts of the case, that dur
ing the period between the throwing
out of the lateral or feeding roots and
the first termination of the plant, II
obtains its sustenance from the body
of the seed; hence it is reasonable tc
suppose that the plant having the larg
est supply of nOurishment,. or tho larg
est seed will make the most vigorous
growth during this period, and II 1t can
obtain the necessary nourishment from
the seed, it will not so soon tax the
roots for its support.
Ii this reasoning Is correct, (and com
ing with such authority as johnson
Liebig and De Sasure, it is entitled to q
candid consideration would 1T not bC
best to use large cuttings in preference
to smaller ones!
One of my senior friends who has
grown grey in the cause of agriculture
Gives me as the result of his experience
in the cultivation of potatoes, that the
best potatoes and those which command
the highest prices are those which ht
raises from large potatoes cut in two
and laid one foot apart in the row, and
that the crop from such seed always
contained q smaller amount of smal
potatoes than those propaSated from
the too common kind of seed.
should like. Mr.. Editor, to hear from
our farmers what they have TO say OF
the subject, rs well rs their tavorit'
way of cultivating the potato crop.
H.. CALEB MILLER.