The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1905-01-05
SAVE POTATO SEED.
Do Not Nry to Raise Crop from the
-~-- Lsst-0vers In the Bin In
the Spring.

lected potato seed in the field, when
the formation and thrift OF the top
could be taken into consideration, and
when the number of well-formed and
medium-sized potatoes in the hills
could have been known and been used
in part as a determining quantity.
For it is not enough that tuber be
of good size; It's desired that it be
one of many Of the same size growing
from the same stalk. But the time
for that kind of selection is past. and
the farmer must do the next best thing.
1t has been the habit of many of our
farmers to put their potatoes in bins
in the cellar, retaining for themselves
for food and seed one large bin full.
The potatoes in this bin are repeatedly
picked over for cooking, till, when plant
ing time came in the spring, most of the
potatoes left were small ones The
planting of these small tubers does not
affect the crop the first year, but, when
continued, it does materially injure the
size of the tubers grown and otherwise
deter the crop.
1t must be remembered that the high
quality we now have in potato varieties
was put there by constant selection and
breeding, and not by breeding alone.
We cannot ignore this and retain the
value of any Variety The running
out" of varieties is due to very large
extent to the lack of care that isishown
them by the man that cultivates them.
Is In the selection of potatoes in the
bin few important points have to be
looked out for. One Of these is to select
medium-sized tubers. There is no OBJ
ject in selecting overgrown tubers. The
day of big things has gone by. We want
a medium-sized potato because that size
is best for cooking and is economical in
preparing for the table. A small potato
lis largely wasted unless it be cooked in
Tits skin. A common method is to peel
| potatoes before they are cooked, and for
such work a small potato is undersira-
bic. Small potatoes are largely unsal-
able. Big potatoes take too long to
cook, and therefore are not regarded
highly by the housewife.
T, A good deal of attention should be
Epaid to the smoothness of the potato
as smooth potato is more economical
to use than an. uneven one. A potato
with knobs III. over at should not h
selected for seed. It's not desirable
Ito propagate che knobs, al they are
practically so much waste material
Another thing that should be looked
after carefully is. the formation of the
eyes, whether! they are near the surface
or are sunk deep into the potato. Tit
ZONES that lie near the surface are thu
ones that should bes9 propagated
The deep eyes are the cause OF muct
loss In preparing potatoes for thu
table,. The enc that digs them out j.
| very seldom careful to cut close, ant
the deep and swasteful gouges great,
reduce the edible portion of the epo
tato. 80 *ses.- . = 80 - 'e4ie's s.
| Uniformity should be regarded j,
making the selection, as that adds some
thing to the selling value of potatoes
1t will be seen that the selection should
igbe made at as early period as possible
Eas 1t will be dificult to get uniform loi
Eeven at this time. After many Of the po
Hatoes are used or sold it will be still
Emore difficult.
X The above process repeated year by
year will give an Improvement in TIL,
lAgariety being grown, and it is doubt
Eful if variety so treated will run out al
hall -IHo ,,,n arnS d