News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-03-15
sPROUTING HABIT OF THE POTATO.
Results of Experiments Made with this
Tuber i'll II Greenhouse.

Bulletin No. XVIII. issued by DIR.
E. Lewis Sturtevant, from the New
York Agricultural Experiment Station,
! gives some of the results gained during
! the winter in q greenhouse with expert
ments referring to the sprouting habit
of the tuber; 12S tubers having been
| placed III a key and set away until
| sprouted, and then the tubers carefully
removed and examined after the sprouts
had attained several inches i'll length,
| give the following curious results:
| Dividing the potato transversely into
| two halves, sprouts had formed on the
upper half in 122 cases; upon the upper
| edge of the lower half in six cases. In
! but few cases did more than three ewes
! develop on a tuher, and i'll nearly every
case the terminal eyes, or. the seed end,
gave the earliest, strongest and most
VIGOROUS growth. In the few cases
the growth between the terminal eyes
and those lower down was so nearly
equal that we hardly knew which to put
| ahead. By terminal eyes we mean, hot
strictly the top eye of the potato, but
the group upon the upper portion.
This observation would seem to in
dictate that the seed end has more vigOr
than the stem end, and suggests the
close analogy between the potato and a
portion of branch. Thus, as an allied
illustration, a prominent nurseryman told
me that some years ago he had a strong
| belief that the intermediate portion of a
twig formed the best graft for use in
root grating, but that the persistence
of an employee in using the terminal
portion of the twig very soon convinced
HIM of the superiority of the terminal
bud for use in root grating. However
the analogy, our results have thus far
given quite conclusive evidence in favor
of the terminal portion of the potato
tuber, so far as regards certainty of
growth, early sprouting, healthy vegeta-
ton and yigor.
g In a set Of experiments intended to
test the value of the different eyes Of the
potato for seed, potatoes were cut to
single eyes, and each eye planted in the
soil in the order in which it grew upon
the potato. The results at date are the
quick appearance of the plant from the
seed ends, and retardation i'll the seeds
toward the stem end of the tuber. As
a general summary of our observations
to date january 27) upon this subject,
We may say that while under proper
conditions every eve upon the potato
tuber is capable of growth, yet under
the conditions of the whole potato used
as seed, but few of the eyes grow, the
majority continuing dormant. Under
certain conditions. however, as. for in
stance, when a potato is allowed to stand
upon the mantlepiece of a warm room.
shoots may start from each and every
eye almost simultaneously, the differ
ence being however, in favor of the
terminal eyes. When a potato is bisected
transversely, forming seed which may
be classed as seed ends and stem ends,
the seed ends seem to show prevalence
i'll growth, while the stem ends show
their shoots later, but still with certainty,
and even here the tendency is for the
eyes most distant from the stem to fur
nish the growth.
This presentation of the potato seed
must be recognized, however, as but a
partial one. There are many factors
which enter into the growth of a potato
crop, Of which the seed is but one.
There are possibilities that vigor of start
and fruitfulness at harvest may depend
upon different cO-relatiOnships with
seed. 1t is but for us to record for the
public benefit just what we have OBJ
served and to present the hypothesis
only which are justified by our present
state of knowledge.
''There seems to be a certain cO-rela-
ton between hardness and prolifcacy,
with quality. As a rule which seems
general i'll all of our gardening expert |
ence, quality of product is gained at the !
expense of those qualities which are |
best subservient to the plant for over
coming the difference of a natural size. !
1t seems quite probable that as we i'm /
prove the quality of our potato we have |
secured a lessened vigOr to the plant and /
a lessened power to overcome the diff /
culties met with during growth. This /
probably accounts for the difference |
which seems to. possess some peculiar /
and distinctive qualities of growth, pro-
Efficacy and habit. Thus far the i'm
potato for our use, as
to the original habit of the
plant, has resulted in a loss, in large
part, III the habit of seeding. and of late !
years we may also note the tendency for /
the habit of Towering to disappear The |
tendency of the plant, man having re- J
leved 1t OF the necessity of looking ont ;
for It's own distribution, seems directed |
toward the storing of its reserved mate |
nal III the tuber entirely, rather than in !
hverting a portion toward seed What F..
nan has done for the potato TO suit it !
or his uses, incidentally, rather than by
distinct design, gives encouraging prom |
Sc for what may he hoped when effort is
made toward some definite
md Predetermined direction"
SAVED HER.-A woman was the only
passenger in a Montana stage except her
,aby, whom she wrapped III her fur
lOak leaving herself unprotected from !
he zero temperature. The driver saw
hat she was benumbed and would freeze
0 death unless reused to violent cxer-
Use. He dragged her from the coach
nd left her by the roadside. ooh, my
,aby p she cried. The driver cracked
rs whip. The stage flew over the snow
With the woman running after. The race
vas kept up for nearly two miles, when |
he driver took the mother i'll again and {
trapped his coat around her. He had {
warmed her blood and saved her life. {
THE weigh to wealth., 800 pounds to
he ton.
A HOTEL clerk named Briscoe, +
SuImped his foot ont i'll Frisco,
1t hurt him like thunder,
But the pain was got under,
BY St. jacobs Oil rubbed on histOe. 9
A conductor who lives at Belair, t
Got hurt, being thrown on chair,
They took him away,
But il less than day,
ST. jacobs Oil made him all s0n0ra