No. 144.] 207 



habit of drying their cut potatoes, or coating them with plaster, 

 before planting them, thus forming a false skin or coating ; for the 

 office of the skin of the seed potato is evidently to retain and pro- 

 tect the starch from coming in contact with too large an amount 

 of the moisture of the soil, and thus arrest tlie decomposition, 

 permitting it to proceed only so rapidly as to furnish its ultimate 

 constituents as food for the new growth^ while the ramification of 

 the roots put forth, which are also greater in number from an un- 

 cut potato, go in search of the inorganic requirements, and sup- 

 plies them even from a subsoil when properly disintegrated. Thus, 

 then, it will be readily understood, why the potato has gradually 

 lost its ball, why its organism is less complete than in former 

 times, and why whole potatoes, protected by the outer sack of 

 skin, as intended by nature, should be used as seed. All these 

 facts lead me to the conclusion that Robert's plan for ameliorating 

 the potato disease is not without argument. 



It will be remembered that Mr. Roberts presented to our club 

 last year some potatoes raised by his process, which were much 

 heavier than those generally in market. The skins, though 

 thinner, were stronger, and the eyes were even with the surface 

 instead of being indentations. Some of those potatoes I have 

 planted, and they give every indication of being very perfect. 

 They kept through the winter with their original hardness, and 

 were in quality superior to the same kind of potatoes gruwn by 

 other methods. It will be remembered that Mr. Roberts claimed 

 that potatoes were not perfect as early in the season as usually 

 supposed, that, therefore, he left those potatoes which he intend- 

 ed to be used as seed in the ground, without being disturbed, 

 until the following spring. He dug them up early before sprout- 

 ing, and replanted them. He found the product from these 

 potatoes much greater than from those dug in the fall. He found 

 also the potato ball appeared upon them, and after repeating this 

 process for three years the potatoes resumed the quality of twenty 

 years ago, and gave results both as to quantity and quality, when 

 used as seed, according with the results of that date. He also 

 gave us the evidence of many growers that these potatoes when 

 planted in the same row with others not so treated defied the 



