86 THE POTATO 



have been known to deliberately rename a well-known 

 variety and sell it as their own, and as a new and 

 heavy jdelding variety. 



Dakota Red is sold for Bliss Triumph, although in- 

 ferior in quality. The above is not a complete list, but 

 will show that this state of affairs exists, and empha- 

 sizes the importance of dealing wdth a firm who have a 

 reputation to lose. 



Testing Varieties. — It is advisable to secure 

 copies of experiment-station literature and papers in 

 v»^hich variety trials are reported. The best variety 

 for one soil is not the best for another. The only way 

 to have the best is to make a trial with small quanti- 

 ties of different varieties. Secure seven to ten pounds of 

 seed of each new variety, and plant, say, three rows of 

 each on a piece of land as uniform as obtainable, using 

 a standard variety, called ^, as a check. If we take 

 B, C, D, E as four untried varieties, buy the seed in 

 the fall, hold it all, including the A .seed, under simi- 

 lar conditions, and plant under similar conditions in the 

 following order: A, B, C, A, D, E, A. Treat all plats 

 alike in every respect, dig when ripe, and weigh the 

 crop. If the A plats yield approximately the same, 

 then the dedu(5lion is that the soil conditions are fairly 

 imiform. If not, compare the yield of each plat with 

 the yield of the A plat nearest to it. Conduct the 

 trial for three years. I find that the second and 

 third years' results are better than the first, as the 

 conditions are more uniform, although if a variety 

 is a long way ahead the first year and shows up well 

 in other ways, I would increase the area under it at 

 once. 



