DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 



113 



very small tubers ; Coppermine,. Iw ouiico. Other examples could bo added of 

 a similar nature. 



The question a? to -whether varieties Avear out has long beeti discussed. Mr. 

 Knight, the famous English horticulturist, maintained that they did, and gave 

 what he supposed wci'e good illustrations to jirove it. Others, since his time, as 

 well as his cotemporaries, believed otlierwise. I have seen Indian corn which 

 had been kept for ten or more years on the same farm. Although tlie farm 

 was a good one and the land well managed, the cars of corn grew shorter, the 

 kernels shorter and rounder at the ends. The corn mentioned Avas the white 

 dent, in the latitude of Lansing, Michigan. I should be glad to hear from oth- 

 ers who have kept the seed continuously on the same farm for many years. It 

 is a common notion that sheep do better when changed occasionally from one 

 farm to another, or from one neighborhood to another, even Avhere they were 

 under the care of a good m:i.stor before changing. 



It Avould be interesting to know whether any of these varieties of potatoes 

 which have been kept here for some years would revive, if tlieir seed were sent 

 to distant portions of our country and well treated. To test this point, last 

 spring, I sent tubers from our garden to Kansas Agricultural College and another 

 set to Ohio Agricultural College, at Columbus. The professors of agriculture 

 in each of those two institutions agreed to treat them the same as we have 

 treated them, and report the re^ult this fall for comparison. It may be said that 

 the potatoes in the cases noticed above, ran out because they were not fairly 

 treated, that they were not properly fertilized or cultivated, yet I do not think 

 this the only cause. Of the newer sort> of potatoes, as lately of Early Ver- 

 mont, Compton's Surprise, Brownell's Beauty, etc., planted on similar ground 

 with similar treatment, we liave raised excellent crops nearly every year. In 

 this connection I may mention a fact, though some will doubtless find other ex- 

 planations than the degenerating of varieties. In many parts of Southern 

 Michigan the wheat crop is ligliter tlian it used to bo. The usual explanation 

 given is that wheat has been too often raised on the same ground. But in many 

 instances which have been noticed by our most observing farmers, a newly cleared 

 piece of timbered land for its first crop does not produce nearly so Avell as in 

 early times, say thirty years ago, wlien the country contained much land cleared 

 every year. Perhaps the change in climate will account for the decrease in 

 yield and quality of wheat on new land. 



Below I give the name of the potatoes tried and the yield in pounds and 

 ounces for six hills of each : 



NAME. YIELD. 



Long Pond _ 19 Kis. 7 oz. 



Missouri Round IG C 



Breesee's Prolific 16 1 



SnowFIalve 15 13 



Xew Kidney 15 9 



Early Don 15 4 



Ohio 14 5 



Early Violet.. 13 9 



Early .June 13 9 



Whipple's Seedling 13 3 



Bradford's Seedling 13 2 



Climax ..."... 12 8 



Peerless 12 G 



Early Manly _ 12 G 



Great Britain 11 9 



15 



N.\>[E. YIELD. 



Sutton's 100 Fold Fluke 10Tt)S. 15oz. 



Earlv Brown 10 14 



Ohio^ Russet 10 12 



Seedling Mercer 10 12 



FromOhio 10 11 



Massachusetts White 10 8 



Lapstone Kidney 10 8 



Wliite Rose .10 G 



Dover Seedling 10 G 



Early Mohawk 10 5 



Early York. 10 5 



Early Snowball ..10 2 



Patterson's Regent 10 2 



Carter 10 



Early Ilendall 10 



