126 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



It should be noted that the pieces for seed — stem, middle and seed ends 

 — were cut from the same tubers. 



From duplicate trials for three years, or six experiments in all, it would 

 seem that the practice of cutting off and throwing away the seed ends of 

 potatoes designed for planting is needless, and therefore wasteful. 



Notes on the vigor and appearance of the vines in each section were 

 taken at frequent intervals, and will give some idea of the growth. " July 

 2. Stem and middle sections about alike, 15 inches high, 5 vines to the 

 hill; the seed end section quite even in size, 17 to 18 inches high, 5 to 6 

 vines to a hill." " July 14. The seed end section is the tallest, and leads 

 in vigor; the stem section slightly uneven." "Aug. 1. Seed end section 

 still leads in vigor; can see no difference in earliness; about two inches 

 taller than the others." 



As a rule the eyes near the seed end are stronger, and produce more 

 vigorous shoots than do those of either middle or stem end, and as the 

 number of shoots that develop, although the eyes are twice as numerous, 

 is little if any larger, we might expect a stronger and more even growth of 

 plants and a consequently larger yield of tubers, and our results show this 

 to be the case. 



AMOUNT OF SEED TO USE. 



In order to get light on the various sides of this question, the experi- 

 ments were arranged in two or three different ways. It at once appears 

 that the proper size of the seed for each hill will depend on the distance 

 between the hills, and this of course will vary the amount per acre. The 

 question was first considered as only applying to plats with one foot 

 between the hills. Two varieties, Clark's No. 1 and Beauty of Hebron, 

 were used for the test, and the seed was prepared as in previous years, by 

 cutting the tubers in halves lengthwise, and using one piece in the plot for 

 the halves; the other half was again cut lengthwise, and one piece used as 

 a quarter, and this was kept ap until we had secured halves, quarters, 

 eighths and single eye pieces, from the same tubers. An equal number of 

 whole tubers of each variety were planted to ascertain the yield from 

 whole large tubers. 



Throughout the season up to August 1, there was a very perceptible dif- 

 ference in the size of the tops, the height decreasing from those of the 

 whole tubers down to the single eyes. 



Naturally being earlier, and of course more forward in their develop- 

 ment when the hot weather came, we could expect a somewhat larger yield 

 from the large tubers than from the small ones, but this could not account 

 for the very marked increase. 



