Io2 FAKM-GAEDENING AND SEED-GROWING. 



It is an established fact that all vegetables are improved 

 by changing, that is, getting seed from a distance, and 

 from soil and climate varying from that in which it is to 

 be planted. This theory would seem to be established 

 with regard to the potato when we consider what great 

 results have been achieved with the new varieties recently 

 disseminated. Take for instance the Early Rose, which 

 in some cases has yielded more than one hundred and 

 twenty-five and quite commonly one hundred pounds 

 from one pound of seed. So with the Peerless, which wher- 

 ever tried has proved most excellent. I might also men- 

 tion a number of others which gave much better results 

 than the old varieties under similar treatment. It is not 

 my object to try to persuade farmers to discard the old 

 varieties and go into new ones, though many of the latter 

 are worth a fair trial, and every grower should test for 

 himself. It is quite natural for a man when he wishes to 

 save seed from garden vegetables to select the best. For 

 instance, he saves the finest and best shaped tomatoes, the 

 longest and smoothest cucumbers, the sweetest melons, 

 the smoothest onions, and in fact everything having the 

 best qualities according to its kind. 



He does this because he knows they can be, and are, 

 annually improved by this means, whereas, on the other 

 hand, the varieties would soon run out if seed was saved 

 promiscuously. This fact being then universally established 

 in regard to the vegetables of the garden, is it not reason- 

 able to attribute the failure of the potato in a great mea- 

 sure to the continued planting of other than choice 

 selected'seed without change ? 



Soil, Preparation, and Planting, Early potatoes, in 

 which the farm-gardener is more particularly interested, 

 require a loamy soil, which should be plowed moderately 

 deep, and finely harrowed, turning under thirty two-horse 

 loacl^ of well-rotted manure, or harrowing in one thou- 

 sand pounds of bone-flour or six hundred pounds of guano 



