The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-01-25
NEW IDEA IN POTATO GROW
ING.

The following extract from a paper
read by l.. IL. Read, superintendent of
hlVerFlcw Seed Farrl, Grand Rapids,
WIS, will be found very interesting:
l want to call your attention to the
idea that has been growing popular for
several years i'll some sections regard
ing what Is known as the Southern
Second Crop Seed. Many claim that
such seed is even better than the North
ern Seed Potatoes, which so many
southern planters have been in the
haolt OF purchasing each succeeding
year.
Now, L set out to discover if this was
u fact, and if SO, why it was so. If
this second crop sccG is better than all
other seed, there must be some reason
for its beng so. l have never read or
heard any reasonable explanation of the
tacl, and SO have devoted considerable
study 10 the matter, and believe that l
have found the reason why it is better
Tor seed than much ripe stock, and am
willing to admit that in part the claim
is well founded.
1t is claimed that The so-called "scc-
ond crop seed" will keep sound and
firm until the season for planting has
arrived. This is true, and in this fact
L believe lies the entire secret.
L have discovered by continued TX
perlments That when a potato Is per-
1cctly ripe unless kcptin practically cold
storage, it viii soon begin to wilt. In
other words, it cvaporates o part of its
= moisture, thus leaving the tuhcl
shrunkcn and less fit for seed purposes
!, i'll the same way that a wilted cut
| ting of currant or other plant grows
less vigorously than an uuwi,tcd one
Repeated observation shows that {
: tubcr that has not reached full MATURE
, ty will retain its moisture, and for man,
! months continue as firm and solid a,
| when dug under conditions where /;
ripe one will not. Such a potato often
, ON being cut for seed, will crack aheat
i of the knife, it is SO brittle, and thu
y juice will run from it as from a newl,
dug tubcr. 1t is i'll gust The condition
. to give it's sprouts the nGcessar,
: amount uf moisture to start a strong
= = thrifty plant, suited to produce q boun
2 titul crop.
u The fully ripened tubcr, on the othe
| hand, has already passed the prime O
J life and is on the decline, as soon IA
) wilted. Its >routs have MOI the ncces
sary vitality to give thelu a prouer star
in life, any more Thar have the of
. spring of aged animals, or the buds O
: II shru, ken ,urrant cutting.
1t is a well established fact in ANNA
. ~husbandry that the offspring of animal
. that have only reached the lull flush @
maturity are much thriller than tnos
OF animals that have begun to 90 dow
the decline of life. The same law hold
III The propagation OF plants of all kinds
y propagate from the strong, thrifty al,
robust; but not from the weakly, dc
: clining plants that are withered or ar
~ approaching Oil age.
You never cut your CRAFTS from oil
: or shrunken wood, bu, from youns
vigorous growth. Bear in mind tn
10 potato is not a seed, but is a swollcr
underground stem, in which are store
l. up starch, juices, ETC., Tor the fccdin
II OF the young sprout.
l. Perhaps you will say, why is not tn
>. FULLY maturcd tuber better than one ha
~ crown? For certainly it would stan
~ to reason thai it would be better SUI,
=, Piled with the necessary chemical COZ
= stituents than the smaller, immatul
IL tubcr can be.
- L say that, under right conditions,
% IS. Tut in order TO retain this vigor
- 1ull maturity you must at once, il
- some process, provide a method of SUI
' pending all life action. In other word
y you must letard Nmure's plan. Ft
~ III that plan, maturity once reached
Is then comes decay and the wastin
- away OF old age. And with hat CONF
~ the loss of vigor, ard with this loss
- vigol comes inability to produce vigo
=. Gus and robust offspring.
, The FULLY maturcd potato, if it coul
u DC used soon after maturity, or kel
- from all contact with warm, dry al
that would cause it to wilt and deter
crate, is as good seed as cln be had.