The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1905-01-26
SAVE POTATO SEED.
Do Not Try to Raise Crop from the
Left-0vers In the Bin in
the Spring.

Il would have been we'll to have Sc
Iected 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 potitoes in the hills
could have been known and been used
In part as a determining quantity.
For 1t is not enough that a tuber be
of good size; 1t is desired that 1t 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, 1t 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 is shown
them by the man that cultivates them.
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
is largely wasted unless 1t be cooked in
its skin. A common method is to peel
potatoes before they are cooked, and for
such work small potato is undersira-
BILE. Small potatoes are largely unsal-
able. Big potatoes take too long to
cook, and therefore are not regarded
highly by the housewife.
A good deal of attention should be
paid to the smoothness of the potato,
as a smooth potato Is more economical
to use than an uneven one. A potato
with knobs all over 1t should not be
selected for seed. 1t is not desirable
to propagate the knobs, as 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. The
ones that lie near the surface are the
ones that should be propagated.
The deep eyes are the cause of much
loss in preparing potatoes for the
table. The one that digs them out is
very seldom careful to cut close, and
the deep and wasteful gouges greatly
reduce the edible portion of the po-
tato.
Uniformity should be regarded in
making the selection, as that adds some
thing to the selling value of potatoes.
1t will be seen that the selection should
be made at as early period as possible.
as 1t will be difficult to get uniform lot
even at this time. After many of the DO
tatoes are used or sold it will be still
more difficult
The above process repeated year by
year will give an Improvement in the
variety being grown, and it is doubt
full IL variety so treated will run out at
all.-Farmers' Review.