154 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



and plant late varieties so as to secure two crops, same as we in the 

 Middle States do early varieties. The only reason that the potato m 

 not cultivated and appreciated as much at the south as at the north is 

 because they are so dried and wilted by exposure to light and heat 

 that they become unfit lor food very soon after harvesting. 



To raise new varieties from seeds, gather the seed balls that grow 

 on the tops ot the plants about the time that the tubers mature and 

 lay them away in a cool, shady place to dry, and when sufficiently dry 

 do up in papers and label. If it is desirable to obtain a cross between 

 any two varieties, plant the two desired varieties in alternate rows or 

 in alternate hills in the same row. Some varieties produce seeds 

 freely while others do not produce them at all ; so if it is desirable to ob- 

 tain a cross of a variety that does not produce seeds it may be planted 

 in close proximity to one that is known to produce them so that the 

 productive flowers may be fertilized with polen from the flowers from 

 the sterile variety. 



Early in the spring put the dried seed balls into lukewarm water 

 and soak until they become sufficiently soft to crush and wash the 

 seed out. The best seeds will sink to the bottom ; collect the seeds 

 and sow early in a hot bed or in shallow boxes or on a warm border in 

 the garden same as tomatoes. They germinate readily and resemble 

 small tomato plants. Prepare a rich bed seven feet wide and as long 

 as desirable and mark both ways one foot apart, and when the plants 

 are one to two inches high, transplant one plant in each hill at the 

 point where the marks cross. Give thorough culture by frequently 

 rakinp' and otherwise pulverizing the soil, shallow near the plants and 

 deeper farther back or between the rows. Do not allow a weed to 

 grow on the bed, as one weed may rob and cause the finest variety on 

 the bed to appear inferior when dug. Make a plat of the bad and 

 designate each hill by a number. Note in a memorandum anything re- 

 markable during the season of growth concerning any or each number, 

 such as thrift, weakness heighth, time of flowering, color of flowers, 

 etc. The time of flowering indicates their season, whether early, me- 

 dium or late. As the tops show signs of maturity in any one or more 

 plants, dig the tubers and lable with their corresponding numbers and 

 store in a cool, damp and dark place. There will be as many varieties 

 as plants, and all colors and shapes. 



Compare the record with regard to the numbers and select the most 

 desirable and promising for further trial and discard the others. It 

 will require three years to bring them to perfection. It is not desira- 



