WHOLE POTATOES BEST FOR SEED. 149 



BuiTOUgh's Garfield, Adirondack, American Giant, (rather deep 

 eyes), Cheeseraan's Seedling, Defiance. 



d. And this leaves as favorably recorded on account of gross pro- 

 ductiveness and merchantable in regard to both quantity and con- 

 dition, the Beauty of Hebron ooly. 



WHOLE POTATOES BEST FOR SEED. 

 By Charles S. Plumb, New York State Experimental Station. 



During the growing season I often had occasion to explain to 

 visitors wh}' potato plants on certain plots varied so striking!}' in 

 size. Nine rows, each sixt\'-six feet long, were planted in each of 

 the plots. The rows were planted in threes — first single ej'es, next 

 halves, and last whole potatoes, to be repeated three times. The 

 striking feature was that when the tops were in their prime there was 

 a very noticeable regular gradation in the size, ascending as a step- 

 ladder, the single eyes being lowest and smallest, the halves next, 

 and the wholes hisrhest and larorest in everv wav. 



In each plot thus planted that has come under my observation has 

 this been true, and I have noted that almost in variably' the plots 

 having the largest seed pieces produced the largest tops. Further, 

 in the fall, as the potatoes were dug and exposed side b}' side, each 

 row b}' itself, singles, halves and wholes, the same gradation was 

 most manifest, as the appended figures will show. In 1883 five 

 plots of one-tenth of an acre each were planted to single ej'es, ordi- 

 nary cuttings and whole potatoes, there being three rows per plot of 

 each seed. A summary of the yields, in bushels, per acre, is as 



follows : 



Seed. Large. Small. Rotten. Total. 



Single eyes 137 30 21 188 



Ord.cut 181 43 24 248 



Whole 195 74 54 323 



Two other plots of one-twentieth of an acre each were planted to 

 single eyes and whole potatoes, with the following results in bushels, 

 estimated per acre : 



Seed. Large. Small. Rotten. Total. 



Single eyes 152 29 9 190 



Whole 162 143 19 324 



In 1884 the question of influence of seed was again tested. Twenty 

 plots were planted to single ej'es, eight with quarter potatoes, five 



