OBLONG AND LONG YELLOW POTATOES 567 



an early crop, and is the variety which is most used for that 

 purpose. There is a form of it which has taller stems, leaves 

 slightly reticulated, and 

 numerous white flowers, and 

 which resembles the Royal 

 Ash-leaf Kidney. This, al- 

 though not so early, is far 

 more productive than the 

 ordinary variety. It is grown 

 in the open air. About 

 Paris, the practice of sprout- 

 ing " seed " potatoes before 

 planting them is very 

 common. For this purpose, 

 the tubers are ranged on 

 wicker-work screens (care 

 being taken to place them 

 with an eye uppermost), and 

 kept in a dry place sheltered 



from frost until they are Marjolin Potato, 



planted. When planting- 

 time arrives, the screens are carried to the ground, and the 

 tubers are taken from them one by one and carefully deposited 

 each in the hole made to receive it. When the tubers are pre- 

 pared in this way, the crop comes in from ten to fifteen days 



earlier than it would ii 

 they had been planted 

 without being sprouted. 

 Besides, the practice oi 

 sprouting is an almost 

 certain preventive of a 

 mishap which occurs 

 more frequently with this 

 variety than with any 

 other that is, the com- 

 plete abortion of the 

 overground stems. When 

 this happens, no stems 

 make their appearance 

 above the surface of the 

 ground, the tuber pro- 

 ducing only a few under- 



Walnut-leaved Kidney Potatoes sprouted in basket, ground Stems bearing 



diminutive tubers which 



all together weigh less than the " seed " potato from which they 

 have grown. 



