38 THE POTATO CEOP. 



others like itself, and thus secure the desired end. This 

 is the usual method of growing the potato. Here, how- 

 ever, a great difference of opinion and of practice exists 

 in the mode of carrying this into execution. Our ordinary 

 farm crops are raised from seed, each grain of which pos- 

 sesses a single germ, the representative of the future plant. 

 The tuber of the potato, however, instead of a single germ, 

 often possesses several, generally more than one, each of 

 which, though forming portion of the same body, is 

 capable of producing an entire plant, and thus greatly 

 increasing the reproductive powers of the original tuber. 

 This is seen every year in all our potato fields, the plants 

 growing in clusters of two, three, or . sometimes more to- 

 gether, and very rarely indeed standing singly in the 

 rows, as we are accustomed to arrange for the plants 

 of our other fallow crops. The existence of these seve- 

 ral germs, indicated by what are known as "eyes" in 

 the potato, has of course been long noticed by practical 

 men, and has led to the practice of dividing the seed 

 potato into some two, three, or more pieces, which effects 

 the double purpose of diminishing the quantity of tubers 

 required for planting a given area of ground, and of thin- 

 ning the number of plants to be grown on its surface. 



Some little care is required in the division of the 

 tuber into these pieces, or "sets," as they are termed, 

 so that the germs should not be injured in the cutting, 

 and that each "set" should contain one or two, in order 

 to secure a good plant. For this purpose, good, sound, 

 and fully-matured tubers should be selected ; shape rather 

 than size should, for ordinary purposes, always be pre- 

 ferred. Their preparation should be proceeded with at 

 the same time the field work of preparation is in pro- 

 gress, so that they may be ready for depositing in the 

 ground as soon as it is ready for their reception. An open 

 shed or barn, where they can be spread out thinly on the 



