116 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Using seed wliieh has been orrown in some other locality, or as 

 farmers say, "a change of seed," has been practiced by farmers in all 

 ages : and that this is very often attended with an increase of crop 

 has been proved l)y the experience of centuries. Sometimes this 

 chanire of seed means bringing in a variety new to the region or to 

 the farm ; at others it is merely a change of seed of a variety pre- 

 viousl}' cultivated, thereby bringing it from some other place more 

 or less distant. However, in the light of our present knowledge, we 

 see several causes why there should often be an increase of crop 

 along with such change. 



To iUustrate : potatoes grow well as far south as Louisiana and 

 the Bermudas, if the seed is yearly brought from a cooler climate. 

 In fact, the}' cannot grow them in any other way. The same is true 

 of peas, and there are large importations of seed peas from Canada 

 to the United States ever}" 3'ear. In Connecticut onion seed is im- 

 ported from Tripoli. The first crop grown from this is of such ex- 

 cellent quality that the trouble and expense of importation are 

 justified. But if the cultivation is continued from seed produced by 

 the American crop, in a few years the onions degenerate in size. 

 Melon seeds from Thibet are taken every year to Cashmere, and pro- 

 duce fine fruit. But vines growing from the seed of melons produced 

 thus in Cashmere 3'ield the next year a ver}' poor fruit. 



The evidence is so strong in favor of this practice, that I feel 

 justified in saying that in order to grow a good paying crop of pota- 

 toes ever}' time, you must adopt the practice of changing seed. The 

 constant sending of the seeds of squashes and other garden vines 

 from the New England States and other places east of the Appalach- 

 ians to the fertile prairie soils of the West is another illustration, and 

 similar facts have been observed all over the world. On this fact 

 the modern business of growing garden seeds is largely founded. 



The amount of seed to use is an important matter to decide, or 

 whether to plant whole potatoes or cut them once, twice or three 

 times. Each of these different methods has its advocates, and 

 perhaps in some seasons or under some circumstances or conditions 

 you will see no great difference in the yield. But you must remem- 

 ber we are talking about growing a crop every time, so we do not hes- 

 itate to say, use ivhole potatoes for seed. 



So, in recapitulation, we will say that the essential requisites for 

 growing a good crop of potatoes are : 



