Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-01-01
Cutting Potatoes for Planting.

OF late years a certain class of farm
ers have tried hard to show that cutting
potatoes used for planting is disastrous
innovation upon the old practice of plant
ing whole tubers. From time to time
essays have appeared upon the subject
to show that this dividing the tubers was
the cause not only of the "potato rot"
but of the degeneration of many old and
long cultivated varieties. But, strange
as it may appear, our most successful and
scientific cultivators carry this practice
of cutting up the tubers for planting to
the fullest extent The result of the
system when continued for several years
instead of being" degeneration" as is so
frequently claimed, is, we are assured
by a gentleman who has probably had
as much to do with the new sorts during
the past fifteen years as any other man,
a constant Improvement. 1t is only a
few days since this gentleman assured
us that the use of single eyes for seed
tended constantly to increase the size
and yield of all varieties subjected to
this system.
Our own experience long since led us
to abandon the old practice of planting
whole or even half tubers, and the larg-
est yield and greatest proportion of good
marketable tubers have usually been
obtained by planting small pieces of only
one or two eyes. The general practice
of sprouting sweet potatoes and then
pulling off the shoots and planting these
instead of the whole or even section of
the tuber is very old and generally
adopted system; still we never heard
that it caused degeneration or disease,
as some say that cutting the common
potato does.
A glance at the structure of potato
should convince almost any person with
fair reasoning powers that dividing a
tuber need not in any manner be inju-
rious to the separate parts as the seed
from which a future crop is to be pro-
duced. A potato tuber is merely thick
ened subterranean stem, with buds upon
the surface the same as found upon the
stem above ground or upon the twigs of
tree which are used in budding and
grating. In cutting up potatoes we
merely divide them into sections, leaving
one or more buds upon each. These, be-
ing planted in the earth, begin growing
At first the buds draw nutriment from
the portion of the old tuber attached,
but the young sprout very soon throw d,
out new roots from it's base and through
these obtains pabulum from the soil. If
a whole tuber is planted and all the buds
are removed but one, the same change
occurs, and there is no sucking ont of
the entire or of any appreciate portion
of the contents, as many persons sup
pose; but, on the contrary, the decay of
the old tuber near the young, tender
roots is far more likely to injure than
benefit them.
Now, in budding and grating fruit
trees precisely similar operation is per-
formed. A bud with very small amount
of bark attached is taken from one
branch and inserted or planted in
another, to which it unites, or takes
root in fact, thereafter drawing
support from the juices of the stock
plant. Constant experimenting for
thousands of years in these modes of
propagation of trees and other wood
plants has fully demonstrated to the
horticulturists that large quantity of
bark attached to bud is worse than use
less, because positively injurious. In
grating trees cion two or three inches
long containing two buds is better than
larger one, and if experience had not
demonstrated this fact beyond question
those foot or even more in length would
certainly be used instead. The maxi
mum and minimum as regards quantity
and size have been fully determined, and
between the two points success is at
tanned.
There are no physiological laws which
should deter the farmer from cutting po
tato tubers into sections, just as there
are none forbidding his dividing the
branch of a tree for cions, and the only
point upon which there need be any di-
versity of opinion is that of the size or
number of the buds upon the pieces.
These have not been sufficiently deter
mined by carefully-conducted expert
ments to fix the minimum, although the
size will probably not exceed cubic inch,
with two buds upon EACH Of course
the farmer may still plant his potatoes
in hills or drills, whichever suits him
best. Every man who desires to learn
and assist in the general advancement of
agriculture should be willing to aid in