335 



Except as noted above, one row of each kind was planted, containing 75 hills, and the 

 result presented as if by the acre. 



The cuttings of the first nine rows were rolled in plaster, and in the remaining rows, 

 with the exception of No. 10, abotit a tablespoonful of plaster was thrown upon the potato 

 in the hill previous to covering. It was calculated to make them all about uniform in this 

 respect. The culture was ordinary field-culture. 



At harvest-time, in No. 1, planted with one eye to a piece, several hills had only one good- 

 sized potato, several only two, and very few had three. In this row there were only three 

 or four small potatoes. The difference in yield, as presented in Nos. 1 and 2, between one and 

 two single eyes in a hill, is 60 bushels. Comparison between Nos. 3 and 4, having two eyes to a 

 piece aud one or two pieces in a hill, shows a difference in favor of the latter of 71| bushels. 

 Between Nos. ;i and 6, having three eyes to a piece and one and two pieces in a hill, the 

 difference in favor of the stronger seeding is 53| bushels. The difference in Nos. 7 and 8, 

 wivTa four eyes to a piece, is in tavor of No. 8 by 65^ bushels ; while between this and No. 9, 

 witli only one piece in a hill, is a falling off of 37^ bushels. 



Concerning No. 9, care was taken that no piece should be planted having more than five 

 eyes, and in my memorandum, at the time of planting, I find this note : "Requiring much care 

 in cutting, and but few of the seed-ends left in. " 



The largest yield was that of No. 10, (andifl remember rightly no plaster was put in these 

 hills,) 349 bushels requiring 43| bushels of seed. Between Nos. 10 and 1 1 the potatoes were 

 equal in size, but the latter yielded 66_bushels less per acre. Again, simply a difference in 

 cutting seed shows between Nos. 19. and 13 an increased yield of 20 bushels in No. 13, with 

 only an increase of If bushels of seed ; while too much cutting, as in No. 14, shows a dimin- 

 ished yield of 25 bushels as compared with No. 13. 



The second largest yield, No. 21, shows an undue proportion of small potatoes, 70^ bush- 

 els. This was doubtless owing to the fact that each eye grew independently, and in many 

 of the hills there were 18 or 20 different stalks. 



Again, the difference in favor of stronger seeding is plainly marked in Nos. 19 and 20, 

 with small undeveloped tubers cut in two and planted one and two pieces in a hill, in favor 

 of the latter, by 50 1-5 bushels. 



Is the seed-end better than the stem-end for planting? If a potato is planted whole, the 

 eyes on the seed-end are those mainly which send forth shoots, the larger proportion remain- 

 ing dormant; but cut the potato, and those eyes which in the uncut tuber do not germinate, 

 send forth shoots, and are equally healthy aud prolific. In a comparison of Nos. 16 and 17, 

 which were the same potatoes except that the seed and stem-ends were planted in rows by 

 themselves, the latter shows nearly double the weight of seed used, and an increased yield 

 of 39^ bushels. 



In Nos. 21 and 22, a large proportion of missing hills is shown. From each potato was 

 cut out, with a sharp-pointed knife, every eye, or indication of an eye, which could be seen 

 without the aid of a magnifying-glass. As a general rule, these potatoes came up slowly, 

 some not making their appearance till the latter part of July ; and, considering the disadvan- 

 tages under which they grew, and the number of missing hills, the average yield is quite 

 large. I do not pretend to affirm that this system of treatment is favorable to a prolific yield, 

 but one of these hills contained 83 potatoes, large and^small, and the largest one would weigh 

 nearly Impounds. 



In seasons of great scarcity with the poor the inside of the potato may bo eaten, and, it 

 pared thickly, the parings planted. But the practice should not be commended, as the result 

 in No. 25 evidently shows that by this process the vitality of the tuber is impaired. 



My universal practice, for field-culture, has been to select medium-sized but well-developed 

 tubers, and if not too large, plant them whole; otherwise, cut them lengthwise into two, 

 and rarely into three pieces. The general practice in this locality is what may be termed 

 surface-culture. The seed-bed is well prepared, the ground marked off with a horse-marker, 

 and the potatoes pressed into the ground with the foot, and covered with the hoe. As soon 

 as they are up sufficiently to indicate the rows, the cultivator is run between them, and they 

 receive a slight hoeing. With the second hoeing is included the process of hilling, and 

 the cultivation is finished. 



Division of Labor in Agriculture. A communication to this 

 Department, from Mr. Daniel K. Goodloe, of Warren County, North Car- 

 olina, advocates a greater division of labor in farming. The following 

 is a condensation of the considerations presented : All branches of me- 

 chanical industry depend largely for capital and skill in carrying them 

 on, and for consequent profitable results, on a judicious division of 

 labor. Were there a class of producers of wearing- apparel who un- 

 dertook to manufacture all varieties of cloths, buttons, thread, leather, 

 boots, shoes, hats, bonnets, and garments of all sorts, for men. 

 women, and children, the demand for capital would be too great, and 

 for intelligence and skill too multiform, for the capacities of any one 

 person. Yet this is not unlike what the farmer undertakes under th« 



