1896.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 27 



Variety Tests of Potatoes. 



Sixty-five varieties of potatoes have been grown during 

 the past season. With few exceptions we procured three 

 pounds of seed of each variety. This seed came from many 

 different sources and was of very varied quality and excel- 

 lence, both as regards original characteristics and conditions 

 as affected by keeping and transportation. It is not believed 

 that with seed of the different varieties of such unlike char- 

 acter it is possible to make comparisons of permanent value 

 between the varieties. We now have a supply of seed of 

 each sort raised by ourselves under precisely the same con- 

 ditions. It will be kept and managed alike for all varieties. 

 With such seed to start with, and planted under appropriate 

 conditions, we shall obtain results of value for purposes of 

 comparison. 



Meanwhile the following details will be of interest, as 

 illustrating to what an extent the crop is influenced by the 

 seed. The seed of all varieties was cut into pieces of two 

 eyes each, with a very few exceptions where this would have 

 made the pieces extremely small. One row of each sort was 

 planted. Its length was forty feet, the pieces being placed 

 twelve inches apart in the row. The distance between the 

 rows was uniform, three and one-half feet. With the excep- 

 tion of two or three sorts which arrived late, all kinds were 

 planted on the same day. The tops of all were prematurely 

 killed by the blight due to Macrosporium, and at about the 

 same time. Full notes have been put on record regarding 

 peculiarities in growth, and the character of the crop har- 

 vested. The yield of each has been recorded, — it varies 

 from 24| to 71^ pounds merchantable potatoes. Six vari- 

 eties gave a total yield of more than GO pounds, twenty-three 

 varieties between 50 and CO pounds, seventeen varieties be- 

 tween 40 and 50 pounds and sixteen varieties between 30 

 and 40 pounds. The balance gave under 30 pounds total 

 yield. A yield of 60 pounds is equivalent to about 315 

 bushels per acre. The best variety, then, yielded at the 

 rate of about 368 bushels of merchantable tubers per acre, 

 the poorest at the rate of about 125 bushels. 



The soil was a medium, well-drained loam. It received a 



