84 POTATO CULTURE. 



are worth some seven or eight cents a bushel to rot on the 

 land as a fertilizer. I should not like to hire men to pick 

 them up to sell at 15 or 20 cents. They are not often worth 

 that to us to feed out. 



With this fine cutting there is quite a saving of seed to 

 start with. This will be of little account to a farmer grow- 

 ing only enough for his own use ; but to a large grower it is 

 worth looking after. The amount varies some with varie- 

 ties, as some have more eyes than others, and the size of the 

 tubers makes a difference ; but say seven bushels of average 

 seed will plant an acre in drills. If you cut two eyes on a 

 piece it would make about 84 bushels difference this spring 

 in the amount of seed required for my field. At a dollar a 

 bushel, or even 50 cents, this amounts to a nice little sum 

 that is saved or made to start with. At what my own seed 

 will actually cost me this year it will be nearly $200. That 

 will pay for a little extra care ; so will $50. Then the crop 

 should have the care, any way, just the same, if two-eye 

 pieces were used. 



I told you in a former chapter of another valuable point in 

 favor of light seeding in drills. Scattered along in the drills, 

 a few in a place, they do not grow out of the ground as 

 much, nor crack it open as much. They must be kept down 

 in the earth, for highest quality, some distance from day- 

 light. This way of seeding gives the best chance for this, 

 and for nearly level culture, which is also usually best. 

 Don't think one-eye seed was all that caused those good 

 laughs. No, no ! It was one good point. There were others. 

 With a single weak link in the chain, however, the laugh 

 might have been on the other side. Yes, even with one-eye 

 seed, and more particularly with it, perhaps. 



Let me illustrate : Years ago I was sick one spring too 

 sick to know or care about business. I had, perhaps, the 

 best man to work in the potato-field that was ever on this 

 farm. He had good seed and good soil, and horses and tools ; 

 but he planted one-eye pieces on soil a quarter prepared. 



