83 



Knowing that the smaller sets are likely to produce, 

 under moderate preparation, weaker plants, the remedy 

 is closer planting. We have personal experience of as 

 good crops being raised from chats, passing through 

 1^-in. sieve and remaining on an inch mesh, as from good 

 stout seed; but in such cases sets have been placed 

 from 7 in. to 9 in. apart. When potatoes are very 

 cheap there is no great saving in using small sets, but 

 when dear, especially as in the case of newly introduced 

 varieties, it is absurd to feed small tubers, as they are 

 more profitably used as seed. Experience shows us 

 that preparation of the soil is a larger factor in the 

 production of good crops than is the size of the seed. 

 At the same time, given the chance of large or small 

 seed on the same terms, we should certainly use the 

 stronger. A strong argument against using small 

 seed is, that when potatoes run away from type they 

 generally produce small tubers, and an excessive 

 proportion of these are likely to be planted. The 

 quantity of seed necessary to plant on the acre varies 

 in accordance with the variety, and the type according 

 to its time of maturing. Roughly from 12 to 15 cwt. 

 of well-sized seed are required per acre. If very 

 large seed is planted, more than a ton is necessary. 

 Seven cwts. of small seed are quite sufficient to plant 

 an acre, if the preparation is good. 



M. Girard recently published a summary of his ex- 

 periments on cut and uncut sets of various sizes, and 

 the following table shows the proportions both of the 

 yield of potatoes and of the percentage of failure to 



