THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 327 



scale is of course impracticable, but most farmers could easily mulch, 

 enough of their potato field to produce the seed that they would 

 require the following year, and in doing so they would not necessarily 

 increase the cost of production per bushel. 



Time to Cut Seed Potatoes. At least three American experiment 

 stations have conducted tests to learn the effect of cutting seed potatoes 

 several days or weeks in advance of planting. The results varied 

 somewhat according to the length of time that the cut sets remained 

 implanted, but on the whole indicated no marked difference in pro- 

 ductiveness between planting freshly cut pieces and those that had 

 been cut for a week or less. The investigations of Kraus and of 

 Wollny in Germany led to the conclusion that a slight wilting of the 

 seed pieces increased the yield on moist soils and in wet seasons, but 

 reduced it on soils not retentive of water and in dry seasons. On the 

 whole it appears that the storing of cut pieces for several days, which 

 sometimes becomes necessary, is .attended with no great disadvantages. 

 Of course due care should be taken in such instances to prevent 

 heating, and it may be well to dust the cuttings with gypsum (land 

 plaster) to prevent excessive wilting. 



Seed End v. Stem End. When potatoes are cut in half through 

 their smaller diameter there is a seed or bud end more or less crowded 

 with eyes and a stem or butt end on which there are few eyes. Ex- 

 periments to determine the relative values of cuttings from the stem 

 end and from the seed end of the tuber have been numerous. The 

 majority of these showed that the yield was greater when the seed end 

 was used. The superior productiveness of the seed end as compared 

 with the stem end was maintained, whether the halves of the potatoes, 

 the thirds, or smaller cuttings were employed. 



Effect of sprouting. The growth of sprouts before planting is 

 made at the expense of the tubers from which they draw their sup- 

 port. Hence if these shoots are rubbed off before planting there is a 

 total loss of the nutriment contained in them. Moreover, numerous 

 weak shoots grow from the injured eye. To prevent these evil con- 

 sequences of premature sprouting, seed potatoes are stored in a dark, 

 dry, cool place. In spite of all precautions the tubers sometimes 

 sprout; but when practicable only potatoes that have not sprouted 

 should be selected for planting. If the eyes appear dormant in 

 spring, seed potatoes may be exposed to the light and warmth for a 

 few days before planting so as to promote germination and prompt 

 growth. If long exposed, sprouts will form and careful cutting and 

 planting by hand become necessary, so as to avoid breaking of these 

 sprouts. 



Quantity of Seed Potatoes per Acre. A bushel of potatoes (60 

 pounds) may contain 240 quarter-pound tubers. When the seed 

 pieces are planted a foot apart in 3-foot rows an acre requires 14,520 

 sets. When tubers averaging 4 ounces are employed an acre requires 

 at these distances 60 bushels for planting whole potatoes, 30 bushels 

 when halves are used, and 15 bushels when quarters are planted. In 

 a number of tests the amount of seed cut to 2 eyes, spaced 1 by 3 feet, 

 averaged 13 bushels per acre, the usual range being from 10 to 14 



