POTATO CULTURE. 87 



ed hoes. We dug 305 bushels. We knew friend Smith had 

 a barrel too, and expected he would beat us, but he did not. 

 He was but a few bushels behind. He grew them on less 

 land, however. I think now, if we had cut to one eye and 

 spread over only an acre, we should have done as well. Our 

 soil was hardly rich enough for the half-eyes. It was a close 

 race for life with the flea-beetle when they first came up, 

 they were so small. 



It is sometimes said that all the eyes will not grow on 

 some varieties of potatoes. I have never found any kind 

 where they would not, if properly cut. There may be such. 

 We have grown in this way the Peachblow, Early Goodrich, 

 Early Kose, Early Ohio, Clark's No. 1, New Queen, Thor- 

 burn, Burbank, White Star, Empire State, Monroe Seedling, 

 Beauty of Hebron, and others, and in a large way. With 

 the single exception of the Early Ohio, one eye furnished 

 enough seed for our soil. To get a full crop of that variety 

 we should have to use more seed or plant nearer together. 

 It doesn't seem to suit our soil, any way. With any of the 

 above varieties, and hand planting, missing hills are almost 

 unknown. We certainly have had acres where there was 

 not one; but, of course, this was from prime seed, very care- 

 fully cut. If you plant a whole potato, a part of the eyes 

 may not grow, usually, or sometimes ; but when cut so there 

 is but one on a piece, it never forgets what it was made for, 

 with us. 



It doesn't make any great difference how you cut when 

 one-eye pieces are wanted, only so you have about an equal 

 quantity of pulp in each one, and the pieces are rather 

 chunked and not too thin. The most simple way seems to 

 be to take the tuber in your left hand, with the stem end 

 down. Then, with a very thin-bladed knife in your other 

 hand, you are ready to begin. You can get a little help 

 from the cut. perhaps. If you should cut the first piece off 

 as shown by the line at the lower left-hand side, you would 

 have a one-eye piece. But you see it would be rather thin. 



