408 VILLA GARDENING part v 



centre of the crown is the most prolific eye in the tuber, no matter 

 how large that may be. In that central eye the gi'eatest amount 

 of the plant's growing force is concentrated. The other eyes will 

 all, or nearly all, grow when cut out separately and planted, but 

 they will not produce so heavy a crop as the central eye. Some 

 cultivators, in order to give this eye a better chance, and to remove 

 all competition, cut away, a few days before planting, the other 

 eyes which are prominent and likely to be the greatest competitors, 

 if all were left. I have a friend — a large Potato-grower — who 

 always contends that the larger the Potato sets the better, but he 

 says that a large set should be allowed more room to grow than a 

 smaller one. After the Potatoes come up, I have often, when a 

 large number of stems spring away from one set, had them thinned 

 with manifest advantage by pulling the weakly stems away, leaving 

 two or, at the most, three to furnish the growth to the plant. I 

 am convinced that a great cluster of many stems is an evil ; though 

 it may probably lead to an increase in the number of tubers, it 

 will not give bulk of marketable ware. On the whole, the best 

 results seemed to be obtained from moderately-sized whole sets, 

 and, if any are cut, the severance should be made straight through 

 the cluster of crown eyes, so that each may possess one or more of 

 them. The cutting of the seed when cut Potatoes are planted should 

 take place three or four days before the planting, and some people 

 take the precaution to apply a dusting of quicklime as a styptic. 



Change of Seed. — There are some, I believe, who doubt the 

 value of this ; but the evidence which has come under my notice, 

 where seed from Scotland has been largely used, forces me to draw 

 the conclusion that a change of seed, especially from a high latitude 

 to a lower one, is exceedingly beneficial as regards the (piantity 

 and quality of the crop for two or three years, and then the influ- 

 ence becomes less and less, until it is altogether lost, showing that 

 the seed shoidd be changed every two or three years to obtain the 

 full benefit. I know growers in the Fens who annually import 

 a portion of tlieir seed Potatoes from Scotland, and find it answers 

 their piu-pose to do so. All changes may not be so beneficial as 

 this. I can quite understand that some changes may not be of 

 advantage. To be useful the change must be of a radical nature. 

 The conditions vmder which the seed has been grow^l must be of 

 quite an opposite character from those of the lAace they are brought 

 to. I grant that, where great care is given to the selection and 

 keeping of the seed, and where the stock has reached a high 

 pitch of excellence, to exchange such seed for stock of an inferior 

 description will be going backwards — not forwards ; but I do not 

 think this is any argument against a change of seed generally. 



