POTATOES. 145 



Mr. Yeomans. There is one other matter, that was alluded 

 to by the gentleman from Hartford, that I should like to hear 

 something said upon, and that is, in regard to mixing pota- 

 toes. He intimated that the question was settled that they 

 would not mix. I will state a couple of instances and then I 

 should like to have tliem explained, if possible. In one ^ase, 

 a variety called the Rhode Island Peacliblow, which is known 

 as a white potato, with splashes of red occasionally on it, was 

 planted by the side of a red potato, the name of which I do not 

 recollect, and in digging the Rhode Island Peachblows there 

 were a great many potatoes found in those hills that were en- 

 tirely red, and similar to the red variety planted by the side 

 of them, whatever it was. The next year those that were 

 supposed to be pure Peachblows were sorted out and planted, 

 but they yielded a much larger proportion of that red variety 

 than the first year. Then another case which occurred some 

 fifteen or twenty years ago. There was a kind of potato 

 raised called the " Black or Silver Lake," and that was 

 planted by the side of a very light red or pinkish variety, and 

 while the black potato did not change in the least, the stem 

 end — the bud end, I might say — of the pink potato was no- 

 ticed to be of a very dark color, approaching the color of th.e 

 black potato ; and upon planting some of those potatoes the 

 next year a large proportion of the product was nearly black. 

 Now if there was no mixing of those potatoes, I would like 

 these facts explained. 



Dr. Riggs. It is the most difficult thing in the world for 

 any person to go into his cellar in the spring of the year (I 

 find it so, at least) and select from the various kinds of pota- 

 toes there, all of a particular variety, unless, in the fall of the 

 year he has been very particular to barrel up those he wants 

 for seed and put them one side, for the women, when they go 

 down to get potatoes, take some out of one bin and some out 

 of another, and throw them around in all sorts of ways. The 

 result is, that when the man goes to get his seed potatoes in the 

 spring he is very apt to get some, at least, of the wrong kind. 

 From the very nature of potatoes they cannot mix in the hill. 

 The potmto, in the first place, is not the seed ; it is merely a 



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