268 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE). 



allow them to s,prout. The potato sunburns or turns greea, 

 and a short, stocky, green sprout is formed. This hastens the 

 appearance of the plants above the ground and when the field is 

 planted by hand, is quite satisfactory, but if the sprouts are 

 too long and a planter is used, a great many are broken oft' and 

 the plants come up unevenly. Cut seed should never be treated 

 in this manner as the hot sun will soon dry out the moisture and 

 destroy the bud. When planting by hand in the hot sun, the 

 seed should be covered as soon as possible and even then the 

 seed pieces may be spoiled if the soil is hot and dry. If the sun 

 is bright and hot, it is well to cover the seed which stands in 

 barrels in the field waiting to be planted. 



Men dift'er as to how long cut seed should be kept before 

 planting; some would plant it as soon as cut while others would 

 keep it for perhaps a week. The best time would seem to be 

 after three or four days or as soon as the cut surface had 

 dried. Seed planted while wet is more likely to be burned by 

 any fertilizer with which it may come in contact, or to have its 

 moisture absorbed by the dry earth in time of drought; while 

 that kept for a long time may heat and decay. 



Cut seed may best be kept if spread about six inches deep on 

 the bottom of a cool, dry cellar. If it is necessary, on account 

 of wet weather or other causes, that it should be kept for any 

 length of time, it should be shovelled over every few days. If 

 the seed is stored in barrels it should be kept in a cool, dry 

 place and turned from one barrel to another every day to per- 

 mit the air to circulate and prevent heating. It is a very dan- 

 gerous practice to store cut seed in sacks, especially fertilizer 

 sacks which have not been thoroughly cleansed, since any high 

 grade fertilizer will injure the seed with which it comes in 

 contact. Piling one sack upon another is also dangerous. 

 Should seed heat or show signs of decay, no one should hesitate 

 to reject the lot and buy new stock. 



It will usually be found very satisfactory to plant the 

 roiws thirty-two inches apart and the seed ten or twelve inches 

 apart in the row. As to depth no fixed rule can be stated, but 

 the grower must be guided by his own judgment, always bearing 

 certain facts in mind. In order that it may sprout, the seed 

 must have air, moisture and heat. In any well prepared seed 

 bed, it can easily obtain air, but it may be covered too deeply 



