CUTTING AND PREPARING THE SEED TO PLANT 47 



make one sturdy stem. Such hills are usually found to have 

 less but better tubers under it than a hill with several weak 

 ones, when planted in ordinary soil. The grower should be 

 thoroughly acquainted with his soil, he should know the 

 quality of seed, and the condition his soil is in before plant- 

 ing. Then he may know about the quantity to use. 



If there are, by chance, any potatoes in your seed stock 

 showing decay, cut and throw that part away. The decay 

 or disease generally shows in the stem end first. If there 

 are any yellow or black streaks, cut that part away, too, as 

 it is disease. If the yellow streaks reach through the po- 

 tato, it will not do for seed ; but if only part of it is infected, 

 that part which is good may be used for seed. Again, you 

 may find in your seed stock some potatoes that have been 

 sprouted once or twice. These are too old to plant, and 

 should be cast aside as inferior. Any disease that is left in 

 the seed piece will inoculate the new crop of potatoes. As 

 the strength goes out of the old potatoes into the sprouts 

 and thence into the new tubers, so will the disease. 



The grower should cut and lime the potatoes to be used 

 for seed several days before planting. If the seed is new 

 and not sprouting, it should be cut and limed from eight to 

 ten days before planting. If the seed is a little old, it should 

 be cut about five days before planting, to keep it from losing 

 its strength. Seed when cut and limed always proves to 

 produce much more than when unlimed. The use of lime 

 on seed potatoes serves well several purposes: 



1st. It prevents, to a certain extent, bugs and worms 

 eating the potato. 



2nd. Lime within itself is a fertilizer. 



3rd. The seed that is limed is less liable to disease, as 

 it prevents disease germs entering the tubers. Disease 

 germs never enter the potato unless the skin is broken or 



