Potato Growing in New York. 189 



large piles soon after harvesting and while the weather is still warm, 

 there is danger of heating to injure vitality. Potatoes should not be 

 stored in large masses till the weather has become cool and they have 

 been sweated in small piles. If stored in crates or in moderate sized 

 slatted bins wliich favor a gentle circulation of air among them, the 

 vitality is believed to be preserved in high degree. The temperature 

 at which they are held, however, is of chief importance. The lower 

 the temperature can be held without danger of chilling the tubers, 

 the better. From 35° to 50° give good results. In many cellars 

 these temperatures cannot be maintained, especially as warm 

 weather approaches and the tubers start to grow. The sprouts pro- 

 duced in the darkness of the cellars are long, spindling, white and 

 tender and are necessarily sacrificed when the tubers are handled. 

 Plants produced from tubers thus weakened by premature sprouting 

 in darkness are less vigorous than those from tubers held dormant 

 till planting time or suitably sprouted in the light. 



In 1903 the following experiment bearing on this point was con- 

 ducted by this Station under the supervision of Mr. J. W. Gilmore. 

 About May 5, Maine-growTi stock of Sir Walter Raleigh variety that ' 

 had been kept in excellent condition was set apart for seeding a late 

 planted plat. Part of the seed was simply stored in a cool place in 

 the barn and a part put into cold storage till July 6, when both were 

 planted. The barn-stored seed was considerably wilted and had 

 sprouts two or three inches long, which were mostly broken off in 

 planting. The cold storage seed was just beginning to start into 

 growth. The yields of equal areas were: 



From barn-stored seed, wilted and sprouted. ' 42.5 lbs. 



From cold-storage seed, solid, slightly started 111.0 lbs. 



This shows a gain of 159 per cent in favor of the solid, nearly dor- 

 mant seed over the wilted and sprouted seed. This probably illus- 

 trates extremes, though the sprouted seed was not worse than we 

 have frequently seen farmers using. 



^In 1904, another experiment was conducted under the supervision 

 of Mr. S. Fraser. The seed tubers were stored from November to 

 May in crates in a cool cellar. No sprouts had started May 1st. 

 They were then divided into four lots and subjected to the condi- 

 tions indicated below. The following figures give the produce of 

 small uniform plats planted June 7th: 



