THE POTATO. 169 



" The whole tubers appeared above ground, in 

 each instance, three or four days earher than the 

 sets, and the hauhn became somewhat longer ; but 

 the experiment shows that, although the total 

 amount thus estimated to be obtained is, 



Tons, cwt, Il». 



From whole tubers 113 2 17 



From single eyes .... Ill 3 54 



thus giving an apparent difference in five acres of 

 about two tons, yet it was hardly more than the dif- 

 ference between the weight of the tubers and the 

 sets originally planted." 



According to Dr. Anderson and others, it requires 

 in the drill method, if planted with sets, 20 bushels 

 of seed to the acre ; if with whole tubers, from 35 to 37 

 bushels. When planted in hills, not more than one 

 half of this quantity is usually put in, whether sets 

 or whole tubers are used. 



Early potatoes have always been very desirable ; 

 and, when the root is cultivated for market, the profit 

 on the early varieties far exceeds that on those 

 which come to maturity at a later period. In this 

 country the black mole-nosed, the nutmeg, and the kid- 

 ney buff are, we believe, the most esteemed early 

 kinds. But it should be remembered that a little at- 

 tention to planting will make a difference of from 

 ten to fifteen days in coming to maturity in almost 

 any of the ordinary kinde. According to Loudon, 

 " In the western part of Lancashire, the early po- 

 tato is cultivated in warm situations, and brought to 

 market at the end of May and during June. The 

 cultivators, aware that the buds from the root and 

 top end of the tuber germinate at different periods, 

 assort their sets. Each potato is cut into five parts ; 

 the first or top set, that which contains the greatest 

 number of shoots, is found to come to maturity a 

 fortnight earlier than the cutting at the root end, and 

 is always selected to produce the crop of early po- 

 tatoes. The others ripen successively ; the root 

 II.~0 



