Potato Growing in New York. 191 



pieces as to have a definite number of eyes on each set. No piece 

 should be entirely devoid of eyes. 



"The total yield increases with every increase in the size of seed 

 pieces from the single eye to the whole potato. This increase occurs 

 both in the large and in the small potatoes, but chiefly in the latter. 



"The gross yield of salable potatoes (large and medium) also 

 increases with the size of seed piece from one eye to the whole 

 potato. 



"The net yield of salable potatoes (found by subtracting the amount 

 of seed potatoes planted and the yield of small potatoes from the 

 total yield) increases with every increase in the size of seed piece 

 from one eye to the half potato. The half potato affords a larger 

 net salable crop than the whole potato on account of the excessive 

 amount of seed required in planting entire tubers. Taking the aver- 

 age of many experiments, it was found that for every 100 bushels of 

 net salable crop grown from single eyes there were 114 bushels from 

 2-eye pieces, 131 bushels from ciuarters, and 139 bushels from halves, 

 but only 129 bushels from planting whole potatoes. 



" These results favor the use of halves as seed pieces if seed potatoes 

 and crop are assumed to be of equal value per bushel, but when seed 

 potatoes command a very high price quarters may be used to advant- 

 age." 



Basing our practice upon these conclusions and upon general ex- 

 perience, it has been the custom at this Station to use good sized 

 tubers for planting and to cut them to three or four-ounce pieces. 

 The number of eyes on each piece has not received much attention. 

 There are always enough. These pieces are larger than most farmers 

 plant, and in 1902, when making a test of potato planters, it was 

 found that they were too large to pass readily into the pockets of 

 the dropping apparatus of the Robbins Planter. To determine 

 whether smaller seeds would produce equally satisfactory results, 

 plats were planted in two parts of the field with seed pieces of one- 

 half the size of those used on adjoining areas. These smaller pieces 

 were still as large as many farmers recommend. The result was a 

 decrease in yield where the smaller pieces were planted of 21.7 per 

 cent in one case and of 41.5 per cent in the other. In that part of 

 the field where the conditions were least favorable for the crop, the 

 reduction in yield from the use of smaller pieces of seed was most 

 marked, but in either case the loss exceeded the saving in seed 

 several times over. 



Cut potatoes if stored in bulk will heat and their germinating 

 qualities will be injured; or if spread out to the air they dry up and 



