136 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



of the successful result. You see the potato was covered to 

 a great depth. . 



Mr. White, of Putnam. I think we have now hit upon 

 one of the most important questions connected with potato 

 raising. Some thirty-five years ago I remember that my 

 grandfather let out half of an eight-acre lot to be planted. 

 The man who took the four acres to plant planted his potatoes 

 very deep — as much as four inches, at least. My grandfather 

 did- not plant his more tlian half as deep. It was a level 

 piece of clay land, deep loam, which would stand a drouth 

 well and which would stand wet well. The result was that 

 our lialf of the potatoes on the part that we let out was 

 worth more than the whole on our own piece : and I have no- 

 ticed it invariably, that where I have covered deep I have had 

 the greatest yield of potatoes. Two years ago this last spring 

 Iliad a young man from West Woodstock planting, and I 

 charged him to plant very deep. After speaking to him as 

 much as a dozen times while he was planting four rows across 

 the piece, and not being able to get him to do it I thought I 

 would put him to shoveling, and planted the rest of the piece 

 myself; and on that part of the piece which I planted deep, 

 there were twice as many potatoes as there were on the other 

 part. I have never known it to fail. I would not think, on 

 good loamy land, of planting potatoes less than three or four 

 inches deep. As the chairman spoke about their coming up 

 late, you will find that potatoes, as a general thing, will come 

 up much quicker if planted four or five inches deep than if 

 planted only two inches ; and I have observed for years that 

 the quicker the potato comes upafter being planted, tlie stock- 

 er and more rugged it is, and it seems to maintain that vigor, 

 other things being equal, through the season. 



Another point has been suggested — in reference to planting 

 small potatoes or small pieces. I have tried that experiment 

 for years. My experience has been, that if you pick out 

 your largest potatoes to plant from, year after year, no matter 

 what the kind is, you will find that you will have less small 

 potatoes, after you have tried it two years, and a greater 

 yield. That has been my invariable exoerience. I never 



