98 INTENSIVE FARMING 



inspection of the piles as to number, size, and 

 conformation of the tubers will quickly deter- 

 mine those best suited for further observation. 

 From each of the piles considered desirable 

 for further test select ten tubers and plant 

 them so as to make forty hills each the follow- 

 ing season, taking care not to mix the tubers 

 from the various piles. The harvest of the 

 forty hills from each lot will again indicate 

 those best suited for continuance. 



The one lot of forty hills showing the great- 

 est yield of tubers of the desired type should 

 He made the basis of the next season's seed 

 patch, and should be planted on one side of 

 the field so as to be harvested separately the 

 following autumn. By following this plan from 

 year to year, the shape, size, number of tubers 

 to the hill, and the aggregate yield can be pro- 

 foundly and profitably modified. The efficiency 

 of the aggregate in which such high-efficiency 

 strains enter cannot but be more satisfactory 

 and profitable than those in which low-grade 

 strains are used. All plants increased from 

 seed or from vegetative parts can be made 

 more profitable and more desirable by such 

 simple methods. Many of the uncertainties 

 can be overcome by care in handling the seed. 



With annual crops such as cabbage, lettuce, 



