FARM DEPARTMENT. 



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potatoes is found in the one eye plat, and the smallest in the yield of the 

 three eye plat. So far the results go to strengthen what we have always 

 claimed, that a medium amount of seed is better than a whole potato or a 

 potato cut to single eyes. The whole potato produces too much growth above 

 ground, and the one eye does not give quite vigor enough, especially if the 

 weather is unfavorable. There was a marked gradation in vigor of growth 

 from the one eye up to the whole potato. Where one eye was planted the 

 potatoes came up very unevenly and some of them failed to grow, proving 

 that it is unwise to take the chances of securing a good crop from such 

 planting. Unless the soil contains a considerable amount of moisture the 

 pieces will become dry before they can send out roots and thus fail to grow. 

 In 1887 nine per cent of the seed cut to one eye failed to grow. The beetle 

 injured the one eye plat more than the others, from the fact that the plants 

 were not so vigorous. 



Table No. 2. — Potatoes. Yield from seed cut various sizes. 



In the experiment with different kinds of fertilizers — table 3 — the potatoes 

 were cut to three eyes and planted with the Aspinwall potato planter. 

 The machine has a fertilizer attachment which works very nicely. The 

 planter is arranged so that the seed is dropped in a furrow made by the 

 machine and the fertilizer is distributed very evenly over the row after some 

 dirt has fallen over it; and then the machine covers the whole with more 

 dirt, leaving the seed in the soil at the depth of about four inches. The depth 

 of planting can be regulated by the operator. Not knowing just how much 

 seed the planter required, we failed to have enough of the Beauty of Hebron 

 and were compelled to take another variety to test the salt and plaster. Un- 

 leached ashes and Mapes' Potato Fertilizer were applied at the rate of 400 

 lbs. per acre ; salt, 300 lbs. ; plaster, 200 lbs. ; 400 lbs. mixture made up as 

 follows : Salt, 150 lbs. ; plaster, 100 lbs. ; ashes, 150 lbs. In the case of rows 

 Nos. 2 and 3 there was no difference in the yield. 



The potato fertilizer seems to stimulate the growth of vines somewhat, but 

 further than that there was no perceptible difference. The ashes alone did 

 not give as good results as we might expect, but it is possibly due to their 

 being too strong to apply to the hills in this way. Where the Thorburn 

 variety was planted plaster gave much better results than the salt, which was 

 a positive injury. Probably salt would have given better results had it been 



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