424 



BULLETIN No. 127. 



[August, 



total nitrogen and dry matter had been determined, were tested by 

 boiling. Corks were tied in the holes, whence the sample for analy- 

 sis had been taken. City water from artesian wells, containing a 

 considerable amount of salts, was used, but no sodium chlorid was 

 added. On account of the amount of work necessary to secure 

 samples with a sufficient variation in nitrogen content, only ten of 

 each kind were used. So small a number makes the probable error 

 large, especially as no method of judging the quality has been de- 

 vised except an arbitrary personal judgment. The flavor and the 

 table quality aside from flavor were judged, dividing the array into 

 five different classes.* 



Their selection for high nitrogen content did not seem to affect 

 the average of the two classes in weight or dry matter to any consid- 

 erable extent, as is shown below : 



TABLE 5. QUALITY OF HIGH NITROGEN POTATOES 

 AVERAGES: WT. 2o6g. PERCENT DRY MATTER 21.09. PERCENT N. DRY BASIS 2.27 



TABLE 6. QUALITY OF Low NITROGEN POTATOES 

 AVERAGES : WT. 2i8g. PERCENT DRY MATTER 21.99. PERCENT N. DRY BASIS 1.62 



The tables indicate that variation in nitrogen content does not 

 have a noticeable effect on quality, although there is a slight indi- 

 cation that extremely high nitrogen might make the flavor more 

 pronounced. High nitrogen potatoes can therefore be propagated 

 without correlation adverse to quality, weight or dry matter. 



*It should be noticed that in these tests by arbitrary standard only the results of any one 

 experiment should be compared with each other, for it is impossible to keep in mind an arbi- 

 trary standard from week to week to compare separate tests. The tubers in every case were 

 known by numbers only. 



