58 POTATO CULTURE. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

 What Varieties shall We Raise ? 



You will notice that, in the first seven chapters, we have 

 considered every point connected with preparing the land 

 and planting the crop. We are now ready for the seed. In 

 this and the three following chapters we will write of vari- 

 eties, selection, and treatment of seed, cutting of it, etc. 

 The best variety for one to grow depends on several circum- 

 stances. If for early market, you want very early ones this 

 for the gardener with a home demand, or for growers who 

 want to ship to more northern markets. If to get off in 

 time for wheat, but not for the earliest market (what we are 

 doing), the medium early varieties, such as Beauty of 

 Hebron, New Queen, and others ripening at about the time 

 they do, will be best in this latitude. They can be gotten off 

 in good season for wheat, and, as a rule, will yield better 

 than extra early varieties, under similar conditions. If 

 planted in this locality these medium early ones put in quite 

 early will make a crop before summer drouth gets very 

 severe, as a rule. If you live in a region where winter wheat 

 is not grown, and you are in no hurry about getting them 

 off, and they can as well as not have more time to grow, 

 varieties ripening later, such as the Monroe Seedling, Em- 

 pire State, Rural New-Yorker No. 2, etc., may be the proper 

 ones for you to plant. 



You need first to decide on your regular system or plan of 

 work, and then choose accordingly. I have grow r n thou- 

 sands of bushels of the Monroe Seedling potatoes, and got 

 them off in reasonable time for wheat, and they are a medium 

 late potato ; but it is too close work, and we propose to keep 

 in the medium-early line in the future. 



Now, perhaps, from the title you expected to find out the 



