Grade 

 Date. . 



EXERCISE 26 

 SELECTING SEED POTATOES 



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FIG. 39. Product of a single tuber cut in four pieces, 

 each piece planted in a hill. Yielded at the rate of 163 bu. 

 per acre. 



Object. To harvest seed 

 potatoes by the hill selection 

 method. 



Explanation. The value of 

 seed potatoes depends on the 

 performance of the parent tuber. 

 Therefore we must make certain 

 that our seed comes from good 

 hills (Figs. 39 and 40). 



Directions. The exercise 

 should be given in a potato 

 field. Let each student choose 

 a group of ten consecutive hills. 



Step 1. Score the vigor 

 and growth habit of the plant. 

 The haulms should be stocky. 

 Short haulmed, upright, heavy 

 leafed tops are not as susceptible 

 to disease as the prostrate types. 

 The prostrate types, however, 

 prevent evaporation of moisture 

 more than the upright types. 

 Early potatoes grow upright. 

 Your scoring will depend on 

 whether disease resistance or 

 moisture conservation is more 

 important in your locality. 

 Score the best plant 20 points 

 and the others accordingly. 



Step 2. Dig the hills and weigh separately the marketable tubers in 

 each hill. Score the best yielding hill 50 points and the others accordingly. 



Step 3. Inspect each hill for variety characters, as color, shape and eyes. 

 If preferred, score for conformity to market demand. Such tubers are round, 

 flat, or oval flat with few and shallow eyes. Score the best hill 15 points and 

 the others accordingly. 



75 



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FIG. 40. Product of a tuber which yielded at the 

 rate of 96 bu. per acre. From field of H. B. Sweet, Utica, 

 N. Y. (Schoharie Co., N. Y. Farm Bureau News.) 



