320 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



Wonderful.— A long, rather coarse, oval potato, having a white, finely netted 

 skin. The eyes are broad, open and of medium depth, giving them a smooth appear- 

 ance; flesh firm, white and watery; vines are strong growers, but the yield was un- 

 satisfactory. 



Summanj. 



The yields this season show a decided increase over those of 1898. 



Thirty-one varieties last year planted May 11, averaged 130.1 bushels per acre; 

 this year thirty-six varieties planted May 14, showed a yield of 159.5 bushels, an 

 increase of 29.4 bushels per acre. 



The seventy-one sorts planted June 4, averaged 201.24 bushels per acre, while 

 seventy-five planted June 4, 1897, only averaged 124.88 bushels per acre, or a differ- 

 ence of 73.3f; bushels in favor of the crop of 1898. 



Tne soil for the two tests was very similar, but the summer of 1898 was a month 

 longer and more favorable for large yields, although in some instances it was detii- 

 mentai to the quality of the tubers. 



Among the more promising of the new extra early varieties, maturing in July, is 

 Andes, which gave a yield of 124.4 bushels, and was fully ripe July 26, although 

 the tubers were merchantable a week or ten days earlier. Early Michigan, a choice, 

 smooth, white potato, ripened only two days later and gave a yield of 176.22 

 bushels. Snowball, a round, white variety, gave 126.99 bushels p-r acre. 



Of those maturing about August 1, or less than a week after Andes, is Snow- 

 flake, Jr., which yielded at the rate of 290.26 bushels per acre. It is an oblong, 

 smooth potato, of high quality, that has been grown here for five years, and for that 

 period has averaged more than 200 l)ushels per acre. Richmond' Belle comes next 

 (243.61 bushels), followed by Blush (212.51 bushels) and Kansas (163.27 bushels), 

 both of which are of standard quality. Norther (204.73 bushels), a variety of the 

 Rose type, has been grown for six years, and is one of the best second early sorts, 

 ripening about a week after Early Michigan. 



.1//"'/ ill III 1 a lirties. 



Of the medium varieties, Garfield (321.35 bushels) and Delaware (318.76 bushels) 

 gave the largest yields. Herrington Peer (290.25 bushels) matured a few days 

 earlier, but did not quite reach its yield of last year. It is a seedling of Early Rose 

 and the two are nearly identical, but the quality of the Peer is superior. Last 

 season it yielded at the rate of 300.62 bushels per acre. 



The season was very favorable for the maturing of the late varieties, some of the 

 later kinds being still green and uncut by frost when they were harvested, about the 

 middle of October. 



Livingston (378.38 bushels) gave the largest yield, but Leonard (344.68 bushels), 

 Battles' Best (336.91 bushels), Livingston Banner (321.35 bushels) and Orphans 

 (bo (.64 bushels) are heavy croppers, of good quality and promise to become stand- 

 ard varieties. 



Carman No. 1 (349.86 bushels) and Carman No. 3 (344.68 bushels) raised their 

 average, and still stand as leaders among the commercial varieties. The latter is, 

 as a I'ule. rather more productive than Carman No. 1, and in many sections is being 

 extensively planted in place of Rural New Yorker. 



TJic I'rereittioii of Potato HcaJt. 



During the last two seasons, tests liave been made of various materials as pre- 

 ventives of the scab upon potatoes. The ground selected had not been used for 

 growing potatoes for several years, hence the soil should have been free from the 

 scab germs. The variety used for the experiment was Carman No. 3, and in select- 

 ing the tubers, special pains were taken to have more or less scab upon each of the 

 tubers. The remedies and methods of aiiplying them were as follows: (1) Chloride 

 of lime sprinkled upon the seed dry, after it was dropped. (2) Chloride of lime as a 

 5^ solution in which the seed was soaked for three hours. (2) Formaldehyde gas to 

 which three lots of seed were exposed for two, five and seven hours, respectively. 

 (4) One-half per cent formalin, in which five lots of seed were soaked two, four*, six, 

 ten and twenty-four hours, respectively. (5) Lysol, one-half per cent, in which differ- 

 ent lots were treated two. four, six and ten hoiirs. (6) Carbolic acid, two per cent 

 solution, in which four lots were soaked for two, four, six and ten hours. (7) 



