POTATO CULTURE. 421 



scale of 10, counting 10 perfection, upon which number, for in- 

 stance, the "Worcester, and Strawberry and well-grown Peachblow 

 might be securely placed, some of these new, high-priced, and on 

 the whole really valuable seedlings, could not at present be marked 

 so very high, though several will vary in quality from 8 to 9, with 

 varying soil and weather. Even the Early Rose, beautiful and 

 bountiful as it is, will hardly need the cipher in this scale to ex- 

 press its table merits, yet it will not fall far short of this, and if it 

 only proves hardy — its weak point, I fear — it will have and deserve 

 a yet higher reputation. 



I will add that m*any varieties in this list, are known under 

 several names, and quite possibly some of them are identical. 



With but few exceptions the potatoes here shown were planted 

 on the 7th of May, 1869, in a small side-hill lot of one and one-half 

 acres, the soil of which — a gravelly loam — was quite uniform in 

 quality. It had been in potatoes for several successive years. In 

 1868 about twenty loads of well-rotted barnyard manure was 

 applied in furrows — Early Goodrich potatoes planted, and after 

 harvesting them, buckwheat sown and turned under in blossom. 

 The potatoes in this experiment were all cut to the single eye, 

 planted in drills three feet apart, one foot apart in drill, with no 

 manure applied save equal quantities of guano and charcoal dust, 

 at the rate of 500 pounds per acre, with a slight dusting of bone 

 dust and ashes on the vines one month from planting. All had 

 throughout precisely the same treatment. Level cultivation was 

 practiced. A horse hoe was once run between the rows, and after- 

 wards hand hoes were used to keep down weeds. The soil is 

 naturally drained. Crop suffered somewhat from drouth the last 

 fortnight, in August. One rod of drill of each variety was dug and 

 product carefully weighed on September 1st and 2nd, at which 

 time the vines, save of some half a dozen kinds, were dying or 

 dead. All tubers smaller than a small hen's eg^, classed as un- 

 merchantable, or small. 



It may be stated, that the yield of some of these varieties was 

 nearly twice as great in richer soils, but in this little trial plot, each 

 potato, famous or obscure, was allowed to develop under fair con- 

 ditions — neither pampered nor neglected. It will be noted that 

 very few kinds entirely escaped disease, and probably many will 

 show further unsoundness as the season advances : 



