Vegetable Growing 91 



The seed of the potato plant which is found in the "balls" which 

 develop on the tops of the plant is only valuable for the origination 

 of new varieties, with the chance, of course, that most of them will 

 be inferior to the tubers produced by the plant which bears the seed. 

 Therefore, these seeds arc of no commercial importance. There has 

 also sometimes developed upon the top of the plant what is called 

 an aerial tuber, which is even of less value than the seed ball, be- 

 cause it does not contain seed nor is it good as a tuber. 



Forty years ago there was a great demand for newer and better 

 kinds of potatoes which has, since that time, been largely supplied, 

 and commercial potato-growing consists in multiplying the standard 

 varieties which best suit the soil and the market. This is done by 

 planting the tuber itself, which is really a root-cutting and therefore 

 reproduces its own kind. Those who are originating new kinds of 

 potatoes still use seed from the balls, either taking their chances by 

 natural variation or, by hybridizing the blossoms, increasing the 

 chances for variation from which desirable varieties are taken by 

 selection, to be afterward multiplied by growth from the tubers. 



Seed-Ends of Potatoes. 



Is it bad practice to plant the seed-ends of potatoes? 

 The seed-end of the potato is the least valuable part of it, but 

 it is better probably to plant than to reject it. 



The Moon and Potato Planting. 



Is there any foundation to the oft-repeated story about potatoes in 



the light of the moon running to tops and the dark of the moon to spuds? 



If we paid any attention to the moon in planting, we should 



plant in the dark of the moon so as to give the plant opportunity to 



make use of whatever additional light the full moon afforded. 



Planting Whole Potatoes. 



One man states the only zvay to cut seed is to take a potato and cut 

 the ends off and not divide the potato any more; or, in other words, a 

 whole potato for each seed. 



Good results are obtained by planting whole potatoes, but in that 

 case there is no advantage in removing the ends. 



How to Cut Seed Potatoes. 



Would it pay in returns to use large potatoes for seed in preference 

 to culls? 



Large potatoes are better than culls, but medium-sized potatoes 

 are better than either. Many experiments have been made to deter- 

 mine this. At the Arkansas station whole tubers two to three inches 

 in diameter yielded 18 per cent more than small whole tubers three- 

 quarters to one and one-quarter inches in diameter, and large cut 

 tubers yielded 15.8 per cent more than small cut tubers. 



