942 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



one or the other, according to the season or the soil, either the yield 

 or the quality is not all that could be desired. The author considers 

 the requirements for obtaining the best results in the culture of malt- 

 ing barley at some length. — F. w. woll. 



Preliminary report upon the selection of potatoes for plant- 

 ing, H. L. Bolley {North Dakota Sta. Bui. 30, pp. 210-243, figs. 17).— 

 The present status of the question regarding the form, part, and weight 

 of the tuber piece to be planted is pointed out by citing from the con- 

 clusions drawn from experiments made at a number of stations. The 

 influence of variations of varieties upon potato culture is discussed, 

 and the author's work during 3 seasons in the selection of potatoes from 

 the vine and the preparation of the seed are reported and conclusions 

 drawn from the results. 



Comparison was made of the growth from large and from small 

 tubers selected from the same vine. In 1894 the tubers were selected 

 from hills of normal growth, which indicated their origin to be from a 

 single i>iece, and which showed considerable difference in growth, num- 

 ber, size, and form of the potatoes. The peculiarities of tubers from 

 each hill were noted. Small tubers were selected from those weighing 

 between 1^ and 2 oz. and the large ones from those exceeding 6 oz. in 

 weight. "The specific gravity of each tuber was then taken, which 

 was found to be essentially the same for large and small tubers from 

 the same hill, but often very different in different hills." After receiv- 

 ing the corrosive sublimate treatment for the prevention of scab one 

 piece, an ounce in weight, was taken from the bud end of each selected 

 tuber. These pieces were planted in the spring of 1895 3 ft. apart 

 each way and 4 in. deep, with the cut surface down. Only one piece 

 was planted in a hill. Soil condition and cultivation were as nearly 

 alike for the entire crop as it was possible to make them. For this 

 season the average weight per hill of the product in tubers grown from 

 the small tubers at the time of digging was 2.1467 lbs. and the average 

 weight per hill for those grown from large tubers was 1.92 lbs. 



The tubers from most of the hills were planted the next season (1896) 

 with the preparation already described. The hills from which no seed 

 was planted in 1896 were those which had produced only large or only 

 small tubers. The average yield per hill in 1896 was 26.54 oz. for those 

 planted with pieces of small potatoes and 25.45 oz. for those planted 

 with pieces of large potatoes, a difference of 1.09 oz. per hill in favor of 

 the. small xwtatoes. In 1897 work was eontinued, but weather condi- 

 tions made the crop of no value for the details of comparison. 



The author concludes from the results that "the weight of the piece 

 has very little to do with the number of stalks which appeared in the 

 hill," and adds that he is inclined to attribute the variability in the 

 number of stalks produced from the pieces of like weight and pedigree 

 chiefly to conditions affecting the vigor of first growth of the sprouts. 



It was found that the number of tubers per hill increased quite regn- 



