72 THIRD POTATO REPORT 



(13) Experiments indicate that it is more important to cut 

 the tuber into compact pieces of nearly uniform size than to so 

 shape the pieces as to have a definite number of eyes on each 

 set. No piece should be entirely devoid of eyes, and the 

 majority of the seed pieces should be large enough to support 

 at least two eyes and better three or more. 



(14) At distances of i by 3 feet, and with seed tubers aver- 

 aging 4 ounces, an acre requires of quarters about 15 bushels. 



(15) The total yield increases with every increase in the size 

 of seed piece from the single eye to the whole potato; this in- 

 crease occurs both in the large and in the small potatoes, but 

 chiefly in the latter. 



(16) The gross yield of salable potatoes (large and medium) 

 also increases with the size of the seed piece from one eye to 

 the whole potato. 



(17) The net yield of salable potatoes (found by subtracting 

 the amount of seed potatoes and the yield of small potatoes 

 from the total yield) increases with every increase in the size of 

 seed piece from one eye to the half potato. The half potato 

 affords a larger net salable crop than the whole potato, on ac- 

 count of the excessive amount of seed required in planting 

 entire tubers. Taking the average of many experiments it was 

 found that for every 100 bushels of net salable crop grown from 

 single eyes there were 114 bushels from 2-eye pieces, 131 

 bushels from quarters, and 139 bushels from halves, but only 

 129 bushels from planting whole potatoes. 



(18) These results favor the use of halves as seed pieces if 

 seed potatoes and crop are assumed to be of equal value per 

 bushel, but when seed potatoes command a very high price 

 quarters may be used to advantage. 



(19) Large seed pieces afford an earlier crop and are less 

 liable to result in a deficient stand or entire failure, which, in 

 unfavorable years and poorly prepared soil, is sometimes the 

 fate of small pieces. 



(20) With judicious planting there is probably no necessity 

 for reducing the number of stalks per hill by thinning. 



(21) It is better to place in a hill one large piece than sev- 

 eral very small ones of the same aggregate weight. 



