116 THE POTATO 



"When good seed, cut to two eyes, has been 

 planted in good ground, and the tillage has 

 been right, the number of unmarketable potatoes 

 usually is small, and many years we do not pick 

 them up. It is the practice of some growers to 

 pick up all sizes together and then to sort out 

 those that are not merchantable, using the best 

 of these for planting and the remainder for stock 

 feed. The small tubers are not the most desir- 

 able for use as seed. If there is a considerable 

 proportion of the crop that is too small for market 

 it should be gathered from the ground after the 

 merchantable potatoes have been taken up." 



The practice of washing potatoes is not com- 

 mon, and there is a general idea that it is detri- 

 mental, but the Wisconsin Farmer says editorially: 



"A good deal may be said in favor of the prac- 

 tice of washing potatoes, provided they are thor- 

 oughly ripened before being dug. We know of 

 one instance where a shipper of early potatoes re- 

 fused to fulfil his part of the contract on account 

 of a customer having washed his early potatoes. 

 He said that washing greatly impaired the keeping 

 quality of early varieties. However, in the case of 

 mature potatoes, if for any reason they are dug at 

 a time when the dirt adheres to them, it will un- 

 doubtedly pay to give them a good washing. 

 Nevertheless, it is highly important that they be 

 thoroughly sun-dried before they are stored in 

 the cellar or cave or before they are placed in 

 sacks. It is reasonable to suppose that dried 

 mud adhering to potatoes will carry a certain 

 amount of germ life, and it is not strange if some 

 of this form of life tends to induce decay. One 



