168 AMERICAN HUSBANDRY. 



perpaps, to undertake the production of new varie- 

 ties from the seed ; but, for the benefit of such as 

 rnay be disposed to do it, we condense from the ac- 

 count of Knight the following description of the 

 process. Select a few large ripe apples from a 

 healthy plant, and preserve them in dry sand during 

 the winter. The seeds from these apples are to be 

 picked out, and sown in rich garden mould as early 

 as the springing plants will be safe from the frost. 

 In the fall these seedlings will produce tubers, the 

 largest and most promising of which are to be gath- 

 ered for planting in the following spring. When the 

 shoots rise a few inches above the ground, they 

 should be covered with mould, and afterward mai\- 

 aged in the same manner as if grown from the old 

 potato. The celebrated new variety, called the 

 ' Do vvnton yam potato," white, mealy, and well-fla- 

 voured, and a good bearer, was in this way produced 

 by Mr. Knight. 



Conflicting opinions have been maintained as to 

 the propriety of planting sets or cuttings, or whole 

 tubers or roots, and the numerous experiments made 

 in this country and in England seem to have left 

 ample room in their results for this diff"erence of 

 opinion. One of the most carefully conducted, and, 

 therefore, most satisfactory of these recorded ex- 

 periments, was that made by the London Horticul- 

 tural Society with five different varieties ; one half 

 of the ground used being planted with whole tubers, 

 and the other with sets containing but one eye each, 

 placed at equal distances (18 inches apart), with the 

 following results. 



Weight when taken up : 



Species. Whole tubers. Single eyes. 



Tons. cut. lbs. Tons. cwt. lbs. 



Early Manley . . 17 10 4 . 18 19 82 



Shaws . . 20 15 26 . 20 4 



Rednosed Kidney . 18 7 71 . 17 12 49 



Pink-eyed Scotch . 22 15 83 . 20 2 7 



Champion . . . 23 14 . 24 9 18 



