Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1869-01-21
TFrom Collnan's Rural World.
Experiment With Potatoes.
CUTTING OFF THE BLOSSOMS.

Several years ago had young
German working tor me, who called
| my attention, at the time OF the flower
lns OF the potatoes, TO the great mum
| Der OF blossoms, and sold me that |
would have light crop OF potatoes.
Upon my asking HIM ior his reasons,
he SAID that he had heard old tolis
say, that many howers-iewpotato
| only remembered it is a singular
remark. concluding 1t was one OF the
many V Use Old SAWS which people
say
We have not, as yet, any u the
new-tanL,c ten-legged Colorado pc
,ato bag BAT We have an o& ~s@-
toned Sort sind OF Ills er-tyesic
Il haven't time 10 nunt up the sIent!-
tic name,) that leeds on the .oiato
plant IN quiet sort Of way without
usually doit mach harm. Tnls year
they We're a,t ABOUT numerous enough
to cut the blossoms as fast as they az.
peared, seemingly thinking them the
choice pa. t, ana attacking them first.
so that but very few blossoms could
be observed in the fields at any gwen
time.
We Lad an unusually good yield of
potatoes, but whether TINS destruction
OF blossoms had any ;hiUg to do with
producing the result, | will leave each
one to Judge Tor himself OF course
any differences drawn from such facts
as these, by themselves, must be only
guesses and conjectures. But here is
something which seems to be more
definite. translate from the French.
the substance Of some experiments
made by some one--a + enchlnar, |
pfesume-4nd published i'll French
paper in Louisiana:
Il had, at one time, cut, here and
there, the flowers OF some potato
stalks and found at digging time an
increased prod CT OF tubcrs, when
compared with stalks not cut.
This result was in accordance vii
my rea on no, for the object Of nature
is solely the reproduction OF seed. Ii
the flower be cut, and OF course the
seed balls prevented from forming, the
strength OF the plant w Il so tothe tor
ming OF tubers, augmentlng The size, or
increasing the numb r.
My first success encouraged me TO
try again selected a piece Of ground
of uniform richness, and sufficient size
to make fair trial. This | planted
with one variety, "a long potato with
reddish skin, and yellow inside. Zone
would inter from the description that
it was coarse kind of potato and,
which think, are more disposed to
produce seed balls than the finer sorts |
At the time OF blowing, | cut the stalk,
three or tour inches below the bios
SONS, leaving, here and there, two
stalks in each Of he rows with the
stalks not cut
Early in October tn plants which
had had the flowers removed, were
still Of bright green, whilst the
others were yellow and dying
AT the digging time, the hills
where the flowers nad been cut, gave
a m lch greater yield than those
which had not been SO treated, and
aso were mott, eahly of larger >ize
he same experiment was continued
the mex Year, IN with like lesai ;"
| It's is rrmarl.b e ennu I'll 10 make
It worth white Tor those who have
e:sure, to pursue the inves, CATION
and zee il tn. same effects can be gas
tofuiy Il ;auod. Probably the d,tlet
elte wouli pc more noticeable II SOM
varieties ta-n IN Others.
JosE2H Won
| Nvletla, OhIo, I.o LNN, 1868.