Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-08-07

To secure large, nicely shaped potatoes is
one object of those who grow the early va
rieties. This season some experiments were
made with view to publish the result in this
column. The varieties selected we're the Ear
ly Sunrise, Snowflake and Early Rose, the
soil being dark loan. The potatoes were
cut to one, two and three eyes, and number
were planted whole. They were planted at
the same time, hoed once and cultivated
twice, the grass and weeds being kept down
and every opportunity given the crop for q
vigorous growth. Some of the rows were
thinned to a single plant to the hill, the hills
being foot apart. The whole potatoes we're
the first to come through uniformly. The
seed containing only one, two and three eyes
pushed forward just as rapidly, but not as
uniformly. The experiment was not conduct
cd for the purpose of demonstrating the
yield, but the value of certain methods for
securing the best early potatoes at given
period. The conclusion arrived at was that
but little difference is made by the seed or
the number of eyes, 80 far as the production
Of large potatoes is concerned, but in every
case where the plants were thinned out TO one
stalk to the hill the potatoes we're larger, earli
er and more uniform, it being rare to find any
small ones in a hill When the hills were
dug there were from three to four potatoes
attached to the vines, all nearly of the same
size and easily harvested. In all other cases
the number Of potatoes was greater, but con-
sisted mAinly of small ones. Az the season
will permit of further growth many of the
small tribes may become larger, but, at the
time OF harvesting, the yield of potatoes
from the single vines was greater, by meas
urement, than from those hills containing
more than one vine. Potatoes should, &C.
cOrdiug to this experiment, be cut to two eyes
and the vines thinned to one in hill IL ii is
desired to get crop as early az possible
Flat culture wac adopted with q portion,
while some of them were hilled up. Flat
culture gave the best results, but this would
not be the case on ground not we'll drained.
The Early Sunrise proved the earliest, with
the Early Rose next, but the Snowflake was
of better quality than either while the Early
Rose proved the most productive. The fer
tilizers used were manure, superphosphate,
potash, salts and sulphate of ammonia. The
best results were secured from the use of
equal portions of superphOsphate, sulphate
OF ammonia and potash, but the soil being
very fertile no conclusion could be drawn as
TO the actual value of the fertilizers in pro-
portion to production and expense as the
crop was not allowed TO fully mature.
The thinning to one plant in hill was ex-
peoted to give good results, even IL no ma.
nure was used, for the reason that in secur-
ing all early crops the fewer the number of
plants the greater the feeding room for each,
as the early start is very important. II two
plants OF the same kind are growing together,
one is weed to the other. Sprouting the
potatoes, provided care is used not to break
the sprouts, insures earlier growth and hast
ems the crop The experiment will be fur
Their continued in order 10 observe the dffer-
ence Of yield in the crops when matursd. SO
far It has been demonstrated that the best
method for securing good early potatoes is to
plant sprouted potatoes, cut to at least two
eyes, and thinning out the surplus plants at
ter they are up but the largest number of
potatoes are secured from more than one
plant TO a hill. philadelphia Record