86 THE POTATO 



have been known to deliberately rename a well-known 

 variety and sell it as their own, and as a new and 

 heavy yielding variety. 



Dakota Red is sold for Bliss Triumph, although in- 

 ferior in quality. The above is not a complete list, but 

 will show that this state of affairs exists, and empha- 

 sizes the importance of dealing with a firm who have a 

 reputation to lose. 



Testing Varieties. It is advisable to secure 

 copies of experiment-station literature and papers in 

 which variety trials are reported. The best variety 

 for one soil is not the best for another. The only way 

 to have the best is to make a trial with small quanti- 

 ties of different varieties. Secure seven to ten pounds of 

 seed of each new variety, and plant, say, three rows of 

 each on a piece of land as uniform as obtainable, using 

 a standard variety, called A, as a check. If we take 

 B, C, D, E as four untried varieties, buy the seed jn 

 the fall, hold it all, including the A seed, under simi- 

 lar conditions, and plant under similar conditions in the 

 following order: A, B, C,A,D, E, A. Treat all plats 

 alike in every respect, dig when ripe, and weigh the 

 crop. If the A plats yield approximately the same, 

 then the deduction is that the soil conditions are fairly 

 uniform. If not, compare the yield of each plat with 

 the yield of the A plat nearest to it. Condudl the 

 trial for three years. I find that the second and 

 third years' results are better than the first, as the 

 conditions are more uniform, although if a variety 

 is a long way ahead the first year and shows up well 

 in other ways, I would increase the area under it at 

 once. 



