The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1895-08-15
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p8TATO EXPERIMENTS.

and u amer OF IihutluK, uiilNhiions tic.
During tie past few years a great
amount # wafk has been done At the 3G
different stations in the United States
which have worked on potatoes Many
old methods have been found corrccS,
while important points Of progress and
suggestions FIR change have heen made
In hulletin y 10 from the Illinois sta
tion are reported results Of experiments
carried ca IL this station. With state
mcu's # some results obtained al tho
other stations. As 10 varieties Il IS
found that no Two stations agree as to
which is best and usually the same sta
ton does Mt agree with itself two years
together
The potato seems 10 be so variable and
so sensitive 70 the conditions under
which II Is grown that about the only
recommendation which it II safe to
make would he to adhere to the stand.
ard varieties nj least for the main crop
In word II Is safest to plant such va
rictics as are we'll known, for they are
well known because they have proved
generally satisfactory to growers.
There is widespread belief among
farmers that 1t j. best to change coca
sioualIy seed Of All kinds of crops
There Is not much doubt but that in
many cases II Is better to change seed,
but il must have its limitations. Per
haps tho most extensive work in study
ing the effects # change of seed has
been done at the Vermont and MARY
land stations. But the results were not
uniform. In four cases out Of eight in
Vermont the seed from MARYLAND gave
the best y.o.a. and i'll Maryland their
home 1,,ts.n sod gave the best Weld in
five caso, est + eight. though the aver
aye wa s,ll IN favor Of the Vermont
seed. Tn Georgia station reported in
iAs1th,d home grown seed gave slight
" higher " IDS tGau the Inrarted from
the north. Missouri reports a com
parisuu If home grown aud northern
grown ,eed III $50, with p varieties.
and the te,uIt as a whole wis in favor
Of the home grown seed in the proper.
ton If loo To 9s. In New York SIN
gle trial ID not favor the practice If
changing I'D The conclusions drawn
are therefore that changing seed from
one locality u moth,r is # doubtful
value. Tie size If seed pieces II Io
plautcd h4s received morcattentian than
any other lf.4t.e except the te-t If vau-
etir~. Twenty stations have carried on
Mr.o numbers IT experiments. and the
general conclusion l. that tin larger
the seed pieces used the greater Tie
yield. " Itvas alsodcuicd that ii MAXI,
no difference what part If the potato j.,
used for sod
As regards time Of planting. il ismade
to appear that, with rare exceptions,
the earlier tie planting is done tie hot
ter viii be the crop. The late planting
is too apt u he cut of 10y hot, dry
weather and the leaf blight. Late yari-
cites, too, have been almost driven ont
Of the field an account of the leaf blight
and the uncertainty Of having seasanable
weather for growing and maturing the
crop" Depth Of planting Potatoes has
been made Il subject If study At five cx-
pertinent stations. Thcrcsults have been
somewhat contradictory, hut with tho
greater number Of trials turning out in
favor Of comparatively shallow planting
In the gre tter number of trials the best
results have come from plunting two to
three inches deep. 1t is learned from
the report ON methods Of cnltlVating no
taturS that the tendency is toward thor
ough preparation Of the soil and level
culture.
On the grounds Of the Illinois station
commercial fertilizers have failed to