82 Third Annual Report 



world, we have the most encouraging conditions for the profit- 

 able marketing of fruit. 



'POTATO CULTURE." 



T. B. TDRRY OF HUDSON^ OHIO. 



When I began growing potatoes I determined to do two 

 things. I determined first, to grow a good many per acre, — 

 make my land rich and get a good yield ; and second, that they 

 should be of such good quality that I could get more than the 

 market price for them. Such things had never been done in 

 our part of the country. I had a whole lot of trouble to get 

 it started, but when it was once started it went all right itself. 



The first thing was to grow choice potatoes, — not only so 

 they would look nice, but so they would be good to eat, — perfect 

 for the people who should eat them. That was not so easy to 

 do. I had to experiment before I got it right. 



I found that in order to get potatoes of about uniform grade, 

 of just about one size, — that is what women like to cook, — not 

 overgrown, not small, just a medium size, all alike, — I must cut 

 the seed into one eye pieces, as we call it. That would bring 

 failure on poor soil every time, or with poor culture, or poor, 

 sprouted seed ; but we found that with seed that had not sprouted, 

 that were properly kept without sprouting until planting time, 

 we could gain the results desired. I want the first sprout to 

 grow. Those that come later are nature's efforts to preserve 

 the species but she cannot do her best with them. The first 

 sprout should grow, and with such seed as that, of the right 

 variety and properly cut and put into rich soil and well taken 

 care of. Why, I can grow more dollars to the acre from one 

 eye cuttings than from any more seed. We have done it for 

 more than a quarter of a century so I know what I am talking 

 about ; and still there is not an Experiment Station in the United 

 States that won't tell you it is incorrect. 



We went to work to make the matter practical and we had 

 no trouble. I found that potatoes were sometimes green on the 

 end, and that spoiled them. You know they are often yellow 

 inside, and that spoils them for me ; I want them snowy white. 

 What makes this yellow? Just a little of what makes the green. 

 Too much exposure makes the green ; a little exposure makes 

 the yellow, so we went to work to save the potatoes from ex- 



