122 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



inch in diameter by the side of hirge potatoes cut to the same size. 

 The result of this was largely in favor of the small potato. The 

 opponents of the small potatoes declared the trial was unfair because 

 the small potatoes had the most eyes. So seven years ago I com- 

 menced again, and destroyed all of the eyes in the whole small 

 potatoes but two, and in the cut potato had two eyes, thus giving them 

 both an equal chance, as the weight of the pieces were precisely the 

 same as the whole ones. The land was all prepared alike, and while 

 in every other hill were planted two small whole potatoes, the hills 

 between them were planted with two pieces of the cut large potatoes. 

 At harvesting time the product from the small potatoes was assorted, 

 carefully weighed and recorded. And then the tubers were selected 

 for planting another year, so that the small potatoes that were planted 

 this year came from the small potatoes planted seven years ago. 

 The product of the cut large potatoes was* treated in the same wa}'. 

 The result for the seven years was as follows : Number of pounds 

 of good eating potatoes from the small whole potatoes 205 1-8 and 

 62 pounds of small potatoes. The same number of hills of the large 

 cut potatoes produced in the seven years, of good eating potatoes 

 192 5-8 pounds, and 71 J pounds of small potatoes — the small whole 

 seed producing 13 pounds more large and j pounds less of small 

 potatoes than the large cut seed. 



Thus it will be seen that the small potatoes have not only held 

 their own but have surpassed the large potatoes, and what at first 

 seems remarkable, the small potatoes produced the mostlarge potatoes. 

 But I do not suppose that this was because of the size of the potato, 

 but rather because the small ones were planted whole. From man}^ 

 experiments I am convinced that to cut a potato weakens its power 

 to force a vigorous growth in the young plant. When a whole potato 

 is planted by the side of a cut one, the whole potato starts first, and 

 usually keeps in advance of that which comes from a cut potato ; 

 the difference being from a week to ten days. Whatever difference 

 there may be in the product from small whole and large cut potatoes 

 is mainly, if not entirely-, caused by the fact that the tubers of one 

 are whole and the other cut. 



To growers of early potatoes it is important to know the fact, that 

 b}' planting whole potatoes they may gain in time from a week to ten 

 days, which sometimes makes a difference in price of at least fifty 

 cents a bushel. 



