78 HATCH EXPEKIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



transportation, and all these factors influence product. For 

 all these reasons our practice is to obtain but a small quan- 

 tity of seed of new varieties as they come to our attention, 

 and to plant this for the purpose of raising seed for the next 

 year's trial, which shall have been produced under similar 

 conditions and similarly handled. This constitutes our 

 "preliminary test.'" 



This test the past season included seventy-five varieties, 

 obtained from almost as many seedsmen, scattered all over 

 New England, the middle and central States and Canada. 

 The seed of all was treated with corrosive sublimate solu- 

 tion and sun-sprouted. It was then cut to pieces of two 

 good eyes each, and planted one piece to a foot, in rows 3 

 feet apart. The soil was a good medium loam, naturally 

 well drained. The fertilizers used in pounds per acre 

 were : — 



Nitrate of soda, 240 



Acid phosphate, 400 



Sulphate of potash (high grade), ..... 250 



Tankage, ' 240 



Dried blood, 100 



These materials were mixed just before using, and scat- 

 tered broadly in the drills before dropping the seed. The 

 planting took place May 11 and 12. All varieties were 

 injured by hot, dry weather, which came just as the 

 tubers were forming, and by blight, although sprayed 

 with Bordeaux mixture six times between June 13 and 

 August 2. The varieties on which blight was first noticed 

 were Salzer's Earliest, Bliss Triumph, King of the Earliest 

 and Lincoln, — July 24 and 25. All other varieties showed 

 blight between July 28 and August 1, and to about an equal 

 degree. It is thought that no varieties blighted long before 

 they were mature ; but, nevertheless, the blight undoubtedly 

 greatly reduced the yields. Owing to the blight, the period 

 of apparent ripening of all varieties was nearly the same, 

 viz., August 27 to September 8. The potatoes were dug 

 late in September. The average number of sets for each 

 variety was about forty, and to this number the yield of 



