FARM DEPARTMENT. 167 



MAEYLAND. 



Maryland bnlletin No. 2, 1888, 



Especial value is to be attributed to this bulletin because of the numer- 

 ous experiments with many varieties under varying conditions. " There is 

 nothing new about this trial of different methods of cutting potatoes for 

 planting and the use of seed potatoes of different sizes, except that it is 

 tried on new ground, and furnishes just so much additional evidence on 

 the subject." 



" The seed potatoes for this trial were got from Mr. M. F. Pierson, a 

 noted grower at Seneca Castle, New York. He sent on 105 named varie- 

 ties, which he classed as 32 early, 30 late, and 43 novelties. There were 

 not enough tubers of each variety of the novelties to enter into the gen- 

 eral tests, but they were used, and a special report will be made of them. 

 The sixty-two standard varieties were grown in one group and formed the 

 basis of this report. They were treated alike in every way throughout the 

 season, except in the selection and cutting of the seed potatoes. In this 

 respect five different methods were adopted for every variety. For this 

 purpose the plantiag was done in five rows, three feet apart, and the hills 

 were 2| feet apart in the rows. There were twenty hills planted of every 

 variety, making four hills of a kind in every row. The seed for the dif- 

 ferent rows was as follows : 



" Row A, one large whole potato to a hill. This took the largest four 

 potatoes of every lot. They weighed from 5 ounces to 20 ounces and 

 averaged 10 ounces to the tuber. 



" Eoiv B, one whole potato, the size of a hen's egg, to every hill. In 

 cases where the tubers were much larger than this pieces were cut from 

 the end having the largest number of eyes, the aim being to hava each of 

 these pieces about the size and weight of the whole potatoes used in the 

 row. 



Row C, a cutting of the usual size to every hill. That is, a piece of 

 potato about one-quarter of a fair sized tuber, the piece having from two 

 to four eyes, and weighing about one ounce, average. 



^^ Row D. A single eye to a hill, on a good-sized piece of potato. Cut- 

 ting the tuber of good size to single eyes, every eye was upon its propor- 

 tionate part of the whole potato. 



"Roiu E. A single eye to a hill, on a very small piece of potato. The 

 piece of potato in this case was at first about the size of that used in D, 

 and was trimmed down to half that size or bulk. 



" Thus arranged the rows had each its standard quantity or weight of 

 seed potato to the hill, this decreasing steadily from A to E. The 

 result shows what is, in this instance, believed to be the effect of quantity 

 of potato tuber used for planting, upon the crop produced. 



"Various causes led to a failure of certain varieties in one or more 

 rows, or to such an extent that they had to be thrown out, in making the 

 average result. Some grew up, but rotted, and some were on a wet spot 

 and did not grow. Forty varieties were finally used in making up the 

 results." 



