St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-05-20
SEED FOR POTATOES.

Some Of the Oninions of Those
Who Have Investigated the
Matter.
Fl. Reynolds, of Maine, favors whole
potatoes for seed.
Call young plants, during the early
stages of growth, depend largely upon
the food in the seed for nourishment to
promote growth. If a single eye, with
only small piece of potato attached. is
used for seed. the young plant will not
for use that it would if whole potato
was planted. It is the general practice
among farmers to cut their potatoes for
seed, and some cut to single eye in
piece, believing that to be sufficient.
Experiments have been reported where
good fields were obtained by the use of
single eyes for seed, but it was under
the most favorable conditions, when the
soil was very rich, and contained an
abundance of food. ready for the use of
the young plant"
At the Massachusetts Houghton ex-
perimental farm, owned and conducted
by Prof. FL. E. Arnold, who is most
thorough, practical and scientific in his
experiments, reports:
OF one variety one hill was planted
with fair-sized whole potato, one hill
with usual cutting, and another with a
single eye: The average for the whole
128 varieties was yield at the rate of
215 bushels per acre for the usual
cuttings, and 1856 bushels per
acre for the single eye for seed.
An extensive series of carefully
conducted experiments in regard to
large and small potatoes for planting,
were conducted by George Mann, and
reported in the Journal of the Royal
Agricultural Society of England. Mr..
Mann found that '.any increase in the
size OF the sets from one ounce to eight
ounces in weight, produces an increase
in crop much greater than the addi-
tiOnal weight of the sets planted. The
net profit over and above the extra
weight of sets in planting four ounce
sets in lieu of one ounce sets amounted
on the whole series of experiments to
between three and four tons per acre;
and the further profit on the increase
of the size of the set from four ounces
to eight ounces averaged five tons per
acre; all of the intermediate steps par
taking proportionally of the increase"
There are farmers who contend that
the best results are attained by cutting
large potatoes to one eye in piece, yet
we3have seen no actual demonstration
of the superiority of this plan. AS this
is the season when farmers are just
planting. we quote another authority Oh
another branch of the subject, that of
Edward Heirey, Of bingham. Mass:
E. There is no crop which we grow that
is so easily affected by the condition OF
the seed, the soil and the state of the
weather. A potato to be III good cOndi-
ton for planting should be kept during
the winter where the temperature is
very even, and just cool enough not to
chill it, and should always be kept in
the dark where the atmosphere is moist
enough to prevent the potato from dry
ing. / have no doubt that in Massa-
chusetts the potato crop is reduced one
third by planting potatoes that have
been kept where it is too warm and
dry. A potato that has sprOuted at
planting time so that the sprouts
break off in planting will not, as a
rule, produce much more than half as
large crop as potatoes that have been
well kept, and have the eyes started
only just enough to show that they are
in good condition. The condition of the
potato at the time of planting affects
the crop quite as much as the size, pro-
viding it is large enough to give the
young plants vigorous start. Cut pO-
tatOes should not be planted immedi-
ately after being cut, unless covered
with plaster or some other material to
shut the air out and prevent bleeding:
they should be spread few hours to
stop the bleeding and dry them off.