181)1).] 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 



81 



garded as affording a reliable index to the relative merits of 

 the varieties. Their publication, however, serves to illus- 

 trate how almost impossible it is, in the making of such 

 tests, to establish the relative merits of varieties. As I have 

 remarked in previous reports, it is significant that the old 

 standard, Beauty of Hebron, is once more one of the first 

 ten varieties. 



Identical Varieties tinder Different Names. 

 As far as we are able to judge, there is no difference 

 between King of the Earliest and Early Ohio ; Salzer's 

 Earliest and Bliss's Triumph ; Mills's Banner and Livingston's 

 Banner ; while White Beauty and Cambridge Russet differ 

 but very slightly, the latter having a slightly more russetted 

 skin than the former. 



Test of Seed of the Same Variety from Different Localities. 

 In order to test the soundness of the a priori conclusion 

 that, to make the results of a variety test comparable for 

 the purpose of determining relative merits, the seed of all 

 should have been produced in the same locality and handled 

 in all respects alike, an experiment was carried out with two 

 of the old standard sorts, — Beauty of Hebron and Early 

 Rose, — with seed of each from a considerable number of 

 sources. The seed of the former came from eight different 

 producers ; that of the latter, from six. The methods pur- 

 sued in seed preparation, soil, manuring, spraying, etc., 

 were in all respects as in the variety test. 



Comparison of Seed Potatoes from Different Localities. 

 Pounds of 40 Sets. 



Yield in 



