270 



XEW ENGLAND FAEiVIER. 



June 



For the New England Fanner. 

 AMOUNT OF SEED FOR POTATOES. 



This question has been under discussion for 

 years, and the views of growers are ai»pa- 

 rently as much at variance as when the subject 

 was first broached. When doctors disagree, 

 ■who shall decide, unless it be the patients ? 

 As I could learn nothing satisfactory to my 

 mind from the expressed opinions of my neigh- 

 bors, I determined to test the matter mj self. 



One says plant large potatoes whole, an- 

 other large ones cut, another small ones whole, 

 and so on to the end ; but ask any one of 

 them why say you so, and they answer, oh, I 

 planted mine so and had a good crop, or I 

 always plant such ones and I generally have 

 good potatoes. Now it must be a very poor 

 method indeed that will not sometimes pro- 

 duce good results, whether applied to planting 

 potatoes, sowing wheat, or exterminating Can- 

 ada thistles. But what we want to know is 

 the best method of doing these things, and 

 one that will produce good results uniformly. 



The past season I have experimented a little 

 with potatoes in order to ascertain what kind 

 of seed and the quantity to use. The ground 

 was a slaty loam and had been mowed for 

 eighteen years, and was broken up and 

 planted to corn last year, without manure, 

 giving thirty-eight bushels to the acre. Meas- 

 ured oflf one acre, twenty rods long and eight 

 ■wide. The land was marked both ways, five 

 rows to the rod, and planted to potatoes, 

 without manure. They were planted April 

 23, and covered two inches deep. The hrst 

 eight rows lengthwise of the piece were planted 

 with one piece to the hill, two eyes on a piece. 

 The next eight rows, with two pieces, making 

 four eyes to the hill. The third eight rows 

 three pieces, or six eyes. The fourth, one 

 small potato whole. The fifth, one large po- 

 tato whole. The first rows had two stalks to 

 the hill in about three-fourths of the hills, the 

 rest only one. The stalks were large and 

 much branched near the ground, but did not 

 cover the ground as much as either of the 

 others. Number two had three to four stalks 

 to the hill, and were nearly as large as those 

 in number one. Number three had four to 

 six stalks to the hill, but they were more slen- 

 der than either of the former. Number four 

 had from four to ten stalks to the hill, which 

 were very slender, especially where there were 

 more than five stalks in a hill. Number five 

 had from five to eight stalks to the hill, and 

 were more stocky than number four. Dug 

 the ninth, tenth and twelfth of October, and 

 accurately weighed, with the following re- 

 sults : — 



Lbs, large Bu. of 



potatoes, 60 lbs. 

 No. 1 . . 24fi0 41 



No. 2 . . 2880 48 



No, 3 , . 2250 Si 



No. 4 . . 2i)f)5 c4,'^ 



No, 5 . . 2230 37 16 



L^s, Bush- Total wgt, 



tmall elB. large &8m. 



90 1}^ 2550 



16 1^4 2955 



165 2% 2145 



287 4 47-60 2342 



180 3 2110 



Omitting fractions, the yield per acre for 

 each plat would be respectively 212, 240, 203, 

 195, and 200 bushels. It will be seen that 

 four eyes to the hill give the most potatoes, 

 it being thirty-four bushels more to the acre 

 than the next highest, and fifty-one bushels 

 more than the lea^^t. 



From this experiment I infer that four stalks 

 are as many as ought to be left in a hill. 

 Small potatoes usually have as many eyes as 

 large ones, and consequently when used for 

 seed an excess is often planted. 



The largest potatoes were on No. 1 and 

 No. 2 ; Nos. 3 and 5 ■were about alike ; in 

 No. 4 they were considerably the smallest. 



In plat No. 1, I observed that where only 

 one eye grew, the yield was about three- 

 fourths as much as where two came. This 

 suggests another question, viz. : does the 

 amount of potato left with the eye affect the 

 produce ? Here is a chance for further expe- 

 riment, by taking just the eye alone ; also the 

 eye with a small piece of the flesh and so in- 

 crease it until we get the whole potato, with 

 all but one of the eyes taken out, — all to be 

 planted separately and the produce noted. 



That four stalks to the hill are better than 

 more, I am satisfied, from the result of an- 

 other experiment made with a few hills on 

 another piece, where I planted 200 hills, one- 

 half with large and the rest with small pota- 

 toes, one in a hill, and whole. One-fourth of 

 each kind was thinned at the first hoe ng, to 

 two stalks in the hill ; one-fourth to four 

 stalks ; one-fourth to six, and the remainder 

 left as 'they came up. The difference in yield 

 between the large and email seed was but 

 little, but the difference between the hills left 

 to themselves and those thinned out was as 

 g.eat as in the experiment above detailed. 



Thus I conclude that it makes but little 

 difference whether we plant just what eyes we 

 wish to stand, or plant more and thin them 

 out, only it is a waste of seed, and like the 

 beet and carrot bed, never get thinned out. 

 I intend to repeat the experiment next sea- 

 son ; but my manner of planting the m-iin 

 crop can be inferred from the above. J. 



Oak Bill, N. Y., April, 1869. 



Totaal, 11,905 193 5-12 797 1317-60 12,702 



For the New England Farmer. 

 FANCY STOCK. 



Our experience seems to prove that no 

 thoroughbred animal can be so prolitable for 

 farming purposes, as half or quarter bloods ; 

 or rather a cross of different breeds is better 

 than any full- blood. 



For instance, in sheep, a cross between Me- 

 rinos and Cotswolds will give good sized 

 mutton and a good superfme quality of wool, 

 much better for practical use in New England 

 than either the full-blooded Merino or Cots- 

 wold. 



Again, in horses, each different breed has 

 various good points, but are lacking in other 



