567 



potatoes gave better yields than Ibe Boston or Eastern grown. At the 

 North Louisiana Station four investigations with potatoes were under- 

 taken in 1890: (1) variety tests, (2) size of seed potatoes and whole 

 l)Otatoes vs. cuttings, (3) fertilizer experiments, and (4) profitableness 

 of potato raising. 



Test of varieties. — Tabulated data and brief descriptive notes are 

 given lor 57 varieties. The land used was fertilized with cotton-seed 

 meal 400 pounds, acid phosphate 200 pounds, and kainit 100 pounds 

 per acre. 



Six of the varieties yielded over 400 bushels per acre, viz.: Boston I'eerless, Ver- 

 mont Earlv Rose, Beauty of Hebron, Cayuga, Gallinn's Sujxa'b, and Kussett. Eleven 

 gave over IS'iO bnaliels, viz.: Parson's Proliiic, Enos Seedling, Home Comfort, Late 

 Favorite, Webb's Early, Sylvian, Extra Early Vernu)nt, Dunn's Seed, Early Puritan, 

 Dictator, IMatt's No. 5. Thirteen followed with yields over ;iOO bushels per acre, viz.: 

 Baker's Imperial, Strawberry, Bliss's Triumph, Burbank, Sunset, Great Eastern, 

 English Kidney, Kural Blush, Irish Cup, Scotch B., Dunumore, James Vick, and 

 Buffalo Beauty. Of the remainder, seven gave less than two hundred bushels per 

 acre. The lowest yield was 170 bushels per acre, the highest 435, 



Size of seed ijotatoes, and whole ])otatoes vs. cuttings. — Seven varieties 

 were grown in four ways : (1) from whole large tul)ers, (2) from medium 

 sized tubers, (3) from cuttings of two or more eyes, and (4) from cut- 

 tings of one eye. The results, as stated iu tables, show that while the 

 larger the seed planted the greater the yield, " the net yield, after 

 deducting seed planted, varied but little. It is doubtful whether on a 

 large scale pieces of potatoes larger than four eyes or smaller thau two 

 eyes will be found of the most profitable use as seed," 



Feftilizer experiments. — These were made on a loose, gray sand of 

 very poor quality. Nitrate of soda, sulphate of ammonia, cotton-seed 

 meal, acid i)hospiiate, kainit, crushed cotton seed, and green cotton 

 seed were used in various combinations, and all but the first two singly. 



The results, as stated iu a table, indicate tluit a mixture of cotton- 

 seed meal and acid phosphate gave the best results; kainit produced 

 uo effect ; the mineral forms of nitrogen were probably " washed from 

 the soil by very heavy rains of early spring." 



Profits in early potatoes. — In order to determine if potatoes can be 

 profitably grown in Northern Louisiana for Northern nuirkets, the prod- 

 uct of about an acre of very poor land was shipped to Chicago, where 

 it netted over $oO per acre. "There were produced besides 10 barrels 

 of culls, which were used ou the farm. The ground was occupied about 

 4 months by this crop, which was removed in ample time for a good 

 fall crop." 



The bulletin also contains concise statements of the residts of potato 

 experiments at other stations and a brief discussion of potato diseases. 



