196 ANNUAL REPORT 



Mr. Johnson, in a recent letter, says, in regard to experi- 

 ments in potato culture, " They are of little value unless con- 

 ducted for several years. Three years ago I selected a few 

 white Peachblow potatoes, planted as I have described. This sea- 

 son I have noticed for the first time a decided improvement. I 

 select only the strongest hills and plant whole potatoes. I expect 

 to have pedigree stock in three or lour j'^ears. 



President Sias. I have been interested in this paper. Was 

 raising potatoes twenty-five years ago in town adjoining where 

 Mr. Johnson lives, near Rochester, New York. I raised there at 

 one time 100 bushels from one bushel of Breese's Prolific. 



Col. Stevens. I dropped potatoes for planting in my boyhood 

 days, 60 years ago, and it was always the practice to cut the tubers 

 for seed. 



Mr. Grrimes. When I was a boy they did not cut up potatoes for 

 seed. They took medium sized ones and cut out the weakest eyes 

 and then planted the whole tuber. Think it would be best to adopt 

 that plan now if necessary to restore vitality. Have cut for years 

 and have seen no bad effects. I got one pound of Early Rose 

 when that variety was first introduced ; planted tubers in hot bed 

 and took sprouts and transplanted like sweet potatoes, and after- 

 wards planted the tubers, and in this way I got six bushels from 

 three small tubers. They are now deteriorating. How shall we 

 bring them up? 



Mr. Peffer. Reproduce them from seed. Cannot see how they 

 should deteriorate by cutting for seed, but by replanting year after 

 year they naturally decline the same as wheat. Early Rose has 

 been running fourteen years, and still yields a good crop if planted 

 on new land. There are ten or twelve eyes in one eye of the 

 potato; only one will start at first, and if that one be taken off and 

 set out others, will follow, and so we can get ten or twelve hills 

 from one eye. 



Prof. Daniels. If you plant one eye and put it into rich soil 

 and give it plenty of food, will it not be as well to use a small 

 piece as the whole potato? 



Secretary Gribbs. The food of the young potato for a time after 

 the sprout begins to grow is the starch stored up in the tuber, and 

 must be in proportion to the size of the piece you plant. Hence, 

 if the conditions of soil and weather are unfavorable, you may be 

 liable to starve the young sprout in the beginning by planting too 

 small a piece. And there is another fact lately discovered by 

 Prof. Sturtevant, of the New York Experimental Station, that 



