68 



THE CANADIAN HOBTICTJLTURIST. 



On the 8th of May, 1884, this seed 

 was cut into single eyes and planted, 

 each selection by itself in the garden, so 

 that we had four short rows of each of 

 ten varieties. The first row containing 

 the cuttings of the largest tuber fi'om the 

 most productive hill, the second those 

 of the smallest tuber from the most 

 pi-oductive hill, the third row the cut- 

 tings of the largest tuber from the least 

 productive hill, and the fourth those of 

 the smallest tuber from the least pro- 

 ductive hill. 



The cultivation was alike and the 

 treatment was alike during the whole 

 period of growth, and when the tops 

 were dead the rows were dug, and yield 

 of merchantable and unmerchantable 

 potatoes carefully noted. 



In order to bring the results into 

 comparison we calculated the yields 

 obtained to the 100 eyes, and arranged 

 the varieties in the oi'der of merchant- 

 able yield, omitting one which is not 

 entirely comparable. We have, then, 

 in contrast nine varieties, the yield from 

 the largest tuber from the most produc- 

 tive hill and the largest tuber from 

 the least productive hill, the smallest 

 tuber from the most productive hill 

 and the smallest tuber from the least 

 productive hill, as shown in the follow- 

 ing table : 



TABLE I. 



TABLE I. — Continued. 



We will now re-an-ange this table in 

 order to bring out a most important 

 conclusion. We will bring in contrast 

 the merchantable and the total yield 

 from the smallest tuber of the most 

 productive hill and that of the largest 

 tuber from the least productive hill. 

 Whereby it will be seen that the 

 smallest tubers from the most produc- 

 tive hills yielded more crop than did 

 the largest tubers from the least pro- 

 ductive hills. 



TABLE II. 



These tables (the more they are ex- 

 amined the stronger does the evidence 

 appear,) furnish an important clue for 

 progress in the improvememt of the 

 potato. They seem to indicate very 



