58 



the station, repriuted from JJiilletin No. 33 of this station, an abstract 

 of wbicli is given in the Experiment Station Eecord, Vol. I, p. 79. 



Michigan Station, Bulletin No. 57, March, 1890 (pp. 43). 



Vegetables, tests of varieties and methods of culture, 

 L. E. Taft, M. S. 



Potatoes (pp. 4-25). — The land used in these experiments was a heavy, 

 sand}'^ loam with a clay subsoil, and was thought to be quite uniform. 

 It was marked off with 24 rows, 3J feet apart, the trenches being 5 

 inches deep. Sections 25 feet in length were then made in each row, 

 three of which were used for variety tests, and the others for experi- 

 ments with different methods of planting, fertilizing, etc. In many 

 cases duplicate and even triplicate tests were made. The experiments 

 are to be continued througli a series of years. 



Tents of varieties (pp. 4-12). — Seventy-five varieties were grown, in- 

 cluding many standard and some new kinds. A row 25 feet long was 

 given to each variety. Observations as to time of ripening and blos- 

 soming, ripening and yield of marketable and unmarketable pota- 

 toes, size and number of tubers, etc., are recorded in a table, and brief 

 descriptive notes are given for each variety. 



MetJiods of culture, etc. (pp. 13-25). — The experiments were to get 

 light on the following questions: (1) Shall the seed end be thrown 

 away ? (2) How much seed sball we use, and how shall we cut potatoes? 

 (3) How shall we plant them ? (4) How deep shall we plant them ? (5) 

 What is the best way to apply manure ? (o) What causes scab, and 

 how can it be prevented ? 



1. Seed ends for planting. — Twenty-five tubers of each of three varie- 

 ties were cut transversely into stem, middle, and end pieces, and planted 

 in rows side by side. The results are recorded in tables. '' Contrary to 

 a common belief that tubers grown from the seed end are smaller, the 

 yield from the seed end averaged about the same as that from the 

 middle or the stem end," and the weight of the small tubers from the 

 seed end was only 70 per cent as great as that of those from the stem 

 end, and only about 55 per cent as great as that of those from the 

 middle pieces. 



2. Quantity of seed. — Number of eyes. — " Various experiments have been 

 tried to ascertain the quantity of seed required for the best results, but 

 contradictory conclusions have been reached. One cause for this may 

 be found in what may be termed the individuality of the tubers. To 

 counteract t!iis in a measure, tbo pieces were taken, as in the experi- 

 ment to learn the value of the seed end, from the same potatoes. This 

 experiment was also carried out in triplicate, three different varieties 

 being used. 



"Twenty-five medium sized potatoes of each were selected and cut 

 lengthwise. One half from each tuber was used and the remaining 

 pieces were halved, and so on until we had halves, quarters, eighths and 



