596 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



I do not suppose that the same result would always be obtained^ 

 but this, being from actual experiment, is of some little value- 

 Those who advocate the planting of eyes, as in No, 3, usually dry 

 them; mine, however, were not dried, but planted v/hen newly 

 cut. No, 7 would probably compare better in a dry season; the 

 vines were altogether more vigorous, and apparently more healthy. 

 I also drew some young vines, as is usually done with the sweet 

 potatoes, and transplanted them; from these I obtained beautiful 

 tubers of nearly equal size. This suggests the idea of forcing the 

 potato in a hot bed, and transplanting when all danger of frost is 

 over, thus securing an early crop. The variety used was the 

 Neshannock, 



Prof. Cassels compares the tuber to the scion of a fruit tree, 

 and the eye to a bud, and concluded that it was not good to plant 

 small tubers, because they sent up so many small shoots. His 

 comparison I like, but not his conclusion. A scion or twig of 

 last year's growth, that is weak and small, is not apt to send 

 shoots from the buds on the side, but only from the terminal bud. 

 If a scion is taken from the parent stock, and properly divided, 

 and these pieces well inserted in another tree, each bud will make 

 a shoot or limb. I have known nurserymen who always rejected 

 the upper portion of the scion, because they think it weak. So 

 with the small potato. The terminal buds or eyes are often the 

 only ones that start at all. Of forty-eight tubers planted, I found 

 only fifty-three stalks or vines, and from a quantity of small ones 

 planted, I obtained the same result. 



From another trial I found the sprout to do equally well when 

 separated from the tuber, after it had come out of the ground, and 

 had good roots. Small tubers, we see, send their shoots from the 

 terminal buds, which are not so strong as the lateral ones, as we 

 see in the above table, as Nos. 5 and 6 were taken from the same 

 roots, hence, perhaps, it might be well to divest even small tubers 

 of the terminal buds. 



Mr. Robinson then said : I once planted potato skins, and found 

 no difference in the yield between the hills planted with skins or 

 whole tubers, and i should like to ask John G. Bergen, a Long 

 Island farmer, whom I see present, how far his experience cor 

 responds with the statement I have read. 



