2/2 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



The first thing needful is that the farmer shall establish in 

 his own mind the ideal toward which his efforts are to be 

 aimed. This he must do for himself, no one can do it for him. 

 Suppose he decides to select for seed only those hills which 

 contain six or more tubers which measure up to his ideal, and 

 none which are undersized, overgrown, misshapen, or in any 

 way diseased. Then, from the best section of his field, he digs 

 each hill separately by hand, carefully choosing only those hills 

 which come up to his ideal. In this way, he will secure seed 

 enough to plant, say an acre, the coming season. The acre plot 

 will furnish enough superior seed to plant the whole crop the 

 second year, and from it the hills approaching the ideal should 

 again be selected. The results of hill selection are cumulative, 

 and improvement can he continued indefinitely until the maxi- 

 mum producing power of the variety is reached and maintained. 



That hill selection is practical and that it brings results, is 

 proven by the statement of Mr. L. G. Dodge, of the Bureau of 

 Farm Management, United States Department of Agriculture, 

 who says, in reporting the results from the selection of high 

 yielding hills in southern Michigan : "Hills yielding six or 

 more marketable potatoes were saved for planting purposes. 

 The first year, sixteen out of one hundred hills met the require- 

 ments. This was continued through two, three and four years. 

 The fifth year, seventy out of one hundred hills reached the 

 required standard." The statement of Mr. Dodge is verified 

 by the experience of practical growers in all parts of the country. 



The most scientific method of seed selection and the one 

 which promises the most far reaching results is that of plant 

 breeding. Here, however, time, patience and skill are necessary 

 and we are invading the realm of the trained man of science. 

 The average farmer, because of the pressure of work at planting 

 time and the harvest, will find it difficult to follow up to a defi- 

 nite conclusion any work of this sort. 



To recapitulate, — exercise care in digging, handling and 

 storing; keep the cellar at a temperature of from 33 to 34 de- 

 grees F. ; disinfect for scab, blackleg and other diseases ; cut 

 into large, blocky pieces ; use gypsum or sulphur as a drier ; 

 store cut seed in a dark, cool, dry place, taking special care 

 that it does not heat, and plant as soon as it is dry; use judg- 

 ment as to depth of covering, and do not allow fertilizer to 



