CONSIDERATIONS OF SEED 



67 



This poor stand was largely due to a very dry spell 

 in May and June, and the differences observ^ed in the 

 various varieties may be due to the vitality of the vari- 

 eties themselves, or to the way in which they were 

 grown and stored, or to both causes. Girard, of 

 France, summarized his experiments some time ago, 

 showing the influence of the size of the tuber upon the 

 ' ' stand ' ' and yield. 



TABLE IX 



WEIGHT OF SEED 



I — Tubers 3.5 oz. each, planted whole .... 

 2 — Tubers 3.5 oz. each, cut into two portions 

 3 — Tubers 7.0 oz. each, cut into two portions . 

 4 — Tubers 10.5 oz. each, cut into three portions 

 5 — Tubers 1.75 oz. each, two tubers planted 



together 



6 — Tubers i.o oz. each, three tubers planted 



together 



Percentage 



iV eight of 



Crop 



100.00 

 69.36 

 82 00 

 74.00 



95-36 



The yield of No. 2 is not comparable with the 

 others, because the same weight of seed was not used. 

 Plats I and 3 are probably the best to use for ordinary 

 consideration, and would show that from 90 to 95 per 

 cent, of the tubers planted should grow, but it is a 

 well-known observation that under adverse conditions 

 — as, a dry season, ill-fitted land, etc. — a small cutting 

 is not so likely to grow as a whole tuber. 



The diagram (Fig. 16) shows that with Carman No. 

 3, where twenty plats were noted, there were 3 chances 

 in 20 that the germination of the tubers and stand 

 would be 100 per cent., and that it is much more likely 

 to be between 91 and 98 per cent, than any other 



