150 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



with halves, and three with whole tubers. All the plots were one- 

 twentieth of an acre in size. The four sets of plots give the follow- 

 ing averages for each lot, as the weights harvested from each, the 

 difference between the merchantable tubers and the total weight giv- 

 ing the quantity of small potatoes : 



c„„j Merchantable. Total. 



lbs. lbs. 



Single eyea 4'J0.5 524.8 



Quarters 677.8 733.1 



Halves 838.5 915.0 



Wholes 958.1 1,089.1 



The results attained by the Ohio Experiment Station are practi- 

 cally the ones thus far reached b3'' the New York Station. In the 

 Ohio Report for '83, page 94, I note: "Our results for both 1882 

 and 1883, so far as yield is concerned, appear to favor large seed." 

 On page 94 the Report for '84 states : ''The results with whole seed, 

 and the different cuttings, bear out the same conclusions as previous 

 years. The whole seed and large cuttings show yields in every in- 

 stance superior to small cuttings." The results for '83 and '84 of 

 the Ohio Station with one-e3'e pieces and whole tubers were as fol- 

 lows : 



Y o J Bushels Bushels Total 



""• ^®®^- Large tubers. Small tubers, bushels. 



1883 One eye. 127.2 7.9 135.1 



1883 Whole. 241.8 21.9 263.7 



1884 One eye. 87.4 3.8 91.2 



1884 W^hole. 158.8 13.2 172.0 



The various popular methods of potato seeding have their advan- 

 tages, but, other things being equal, from past experience in the 

 field in a perfectly practical wa}', personally speaking, I would pre- 

 fer to plant either large halves, or whole medium-sized tubers. Why ? 

 The larger the tuber the more vigorous the eyes, and the earlier and 

 stronger the resulting plants. The extra expense of planting whole 

 tubers would probably be more than repaid in increase of crop over 

 single-eye or cut-tuber planting, while from the two latter methods 

 there is a much greater liability of suffering from droutli, while the 

 tops of the growing crop will not produce the strong stocky growth 

 resulting from medium to large whole seed. 



I fail to see strength in a correspondent's statement in The Trib- 

 une "that the largest potatoes in a hill are often quite unripe, hav- 

 ing been caught in mid-growth by the freezing of the leaves and 

 cessation of assimulable supply." Firstly', the mid-growth of pota- 



