Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-04-22
Improving Potato Seed.

Seed selection has passed the stage OF
guess work, and while great deal OF II
in the future will be experimental. We
may look for greater results from fixed
methods. Wonderful results have been
obtained by selection with many kinds
of plants, especially corn and oats.
A potato tuber is not seed but a part
of the plant from which 1t came, couse-
quently the characteristics OF the parent
hill are more likely to be reproduced In
the new plant than in plants that are
grown from seed that comes from the
union of two parent plants. Perhaps
the scientific breeding of seed for our
general farm crops may be left with our
ex pertinent stations and the raising OF
potatoes from the potato seed balls to
those who have more time than the aver
age farmer, but there is chance for the
farmers to do much for themselves by
the selection OF seed.
With corn or any kind of grain, sele ct
q few stalks with the best grain on them
for planting, then select the best raised
from that.
With potatoes, select q few hills OF the
right type, vigorous tops, large number
of merchantabls potatoes to the hill, and
of good quality for planting, then select
the best hills raised from those and fol-
low several years. In large majority OF
cases much improvement will be seen.
The cost of digging and taking care OF
these few hills would be considerable,
but when we get the type established the
cost of raising good seed will not Dc as
much as the cost of raising poor seed,
because of increased yield.
That there is need OF improving the
quality of the potatoes generally put on
the market, no one will doubt, and here
is where the farmers associations can do
a great work for their sections, by grad
ing the potatoes according to quality,
and marking them accordingly when
they are shipped, thus inducing the
farmers of those sections to raise only
such potatoes as have proved of good
quality. Any community which can es-
tablish reputation for raising potatoes
of high quality will always have mar
ket for all they can raise at the top
notch price.
There are some potatoes which are of
fine quality when planted at the right
season, but il planted late they would be
inferior for table use, but for planting
would be fully as good as the early
planted.
Small-sizsd potatoes planted whole
will produce the largest crop, but this
plan il followed will decrease or run
them out so that in few years they will
not be worth planting. Therefore, II
you plant small potatoes, dispose OF all
you raise from them, and keep for seed
only those raised from potatoes OF fair
size, good shape, and true to type.
There are freaks in nature, 80 when
passing the potato field il you see top
" hich appears much better than those
around it, mark it. Itmay be freak.
far better than the original stock, and
the beginning of much improved varie- |
ty.
1t is hard to estimate the loss sus-
tanned BY the farmers of Maine from the
use of inferior seed. Sometimes it may |
mean the loss of but few bushels and
at other times the entire failure of the
crop.
To illustrate the difference between
selected and unsolicited seed, will quote
the words of leading grower Of pota-
toes: IL thought I had some of the best
seed that could be obtained, but fonnd |
when planted selected seed by the side
Of it, that the selected seed yielded 81 1.2 |
bushels per acre more than the unselect- |
ed seed"