SEED SELECTION. 315 



did from imselected seed, in the same field, planted at the same 

 time, given the same care, and dug at the same time." 



These are only a few of the specific instances showing the 

 results of seed selection. The fact that about 400 farmers in Clay 

 County selected and treated seed for a seed plot the past year, 

 shows how far-reaching the results may be. 



A Member: I would like to know in what proportion he 

 used that bichloride of mercury. 



Mr. Clement : Four ounces to thirty gallons of water. 



A Member: Some time ago I was reading in the National 

 Geographic magazine, down in Peru, where all our potatoes come 

 from originally, they recognized some twenty species in one field. 

 They didn't plant them separately, they planted them altogether. 

 It was suggested to send down there and get seed from the orig- 

 inal source, as our potatoes first went to Spain and afterwards 

 to northern Europe. Has this suggestion been followed up, and 

 are we now getting potatoes from the original sources or do we 

 still use those from northern Europe? 



Mr. Clement : I cannot answer that ; one of the college pro- 

 fessors could probably tell us. 



Prof. Mackintosh : Of course, the potato first went around 

 that way, but at the time of the big potato rot in New York 

 someone got the idea that we ought to go to the south and get 

 potatoes direct. That was the beginning of our present potato 

 work, and there are experts who are getting those potatoes all 

 the time, so that that is being looked after pretty well. 



Prof. Brodrick : Did you find bichloride of mercury more 

 satisfactory than formalin? 



Mr. Clement: Yes, sir. There is one potato disease, that 

 of rhizotonia, which is not affected by formalin. 



Mr. Rasmussen : Are you doing any hill selection? 



Mr. Clement : We have made a small start on that. We are 

 trying to give the farmer something that he can put into practice 

 without seeing too much work ahead of him. Hill selection is 

 good, but the average farmer will not do it. We want to give him 

 something that he will do. 



A Member : After soaking these an hour and a half, do you 

 cut them up after that? 



Mr. Clement: They are usually cut after they are taken 

 out of the solution. There are different ways used. I am not 

 sure but that I prefer the method of treating after the cutting 

 rather than before. It is easier to handle them that way. I think 

 one eye is enough to plant, but the pieces that I cut run from one 

 to two eyes. I plant the pieces about twelve inches apart. 



A Member : What has been the yield the last three or four 

 years? 



Mr. Clement : About 100 bushels per acre for Early Ohios. 

 We have raised 363 bushels to the acre on our plots. If we aver- 

 age 150 we are very well satisfied. 



