24 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



come up well with strong dry ashes. Are you quite sure that 

 your ashes were good, strong ashes? 



Mr, Lyman. Oh yes, they were ashes from hickory, and 

 other hard wood. 



Mr. Low. I have lost a crop, and my brother lost one this 

 year, by putting dry ashes upon the potatoes. 



Mr. Lyman. Three years ago, I planted some in my gar 

 den. Immediately after, there came a very heavy rain, and 

 they did not come up. Whether the rain had anything to do 

 with it or not, I can't say. Perhaps it produced such a strong 

 lye from the ashes that the tubers were killed. I think very 

 likely that was the trouble. 



Mr. Low. I have found that leached ashes in the hill 

 would answer the purpose for potatoes quite as well as dry ; 

 but I do not consider it safe to put dry ashes on potatoes. I 

 w^as quite satisfied with my experiment, and never tried it 

 again. It may be that rain following immediately after the 

 planting would make a great difference. 



Mr. Gold. A gentleman of my acquaintance got a bushel 

 of the Early Rose last spring, cut them and rolled them in 

 ashes a week or two before planting ; then he planted them, 

 and that was the last he saw of his potatoes. 



Question. There is a question in my mind in regard to 

 fertilizing with seed. We all know that when the Early Rose 

 first came around, when they were sold for a dollar a pound, 

 every person who happened to have one of those potatoes cut 

 it into the very smallest pieces possible. I have known it 

 carried to the extent of splitting an eye, leaving a piece of 

 the tuber not much larger than a pea ; and yet they obtained 

 a number of large sized potatoes. Now, if the size of the 

 seed has anything to do with the crop, why should it not be 

 affected by such an operation ? The result of my experience 

 is, that if you want to obtain the largest number of potatoes 

 from a small amount of seed, if you plant but one eye in a 

 piece, the result will be much more surprising than if you 

 planted a larger piece. How is it ? If you cut a large pota- 

 to into two or three pieces, you will do well if you get a peck 

 from it ; but I have divided a potato into single eyes, and 



