AMERICAN INSTITUTE, 597 



Jolin G. Bergen — Nature is always true to herself. An ex- 

 periment made one year is reversed the next, I have tried many 

 experiments in planting potatoes. The best yield I ever had was 

 from uncut ripe potatoes. I have seen seven hills fill a bushel. 

 My father has dug a peck from a hill. My idea is, that the best 

 plan is to reject the seed end, and cut the other half in two, and 

 plant one piece in the hill, if planted close togetlier. I was at 

 Cornwallis, N. S., last fall, and found the practice was to cut seed 

 as we do on Long Island, and plant closer than we do. They 

 mark the ground two feet apart; here w^e mark off two by three 

 feet, one piece in a hilL The Mercers have short vines, the Dyke- 

 mans have long vines. A potato called Peachblow has a long 

 vine, and sliould be planted wide apart: they have escaped the 

 rot. The main variety on Long Island is the Mercer; they rotted 

 badly last year. The Dykeman, Kockwhite and Alger potatoes 

 are generally used. The Dykeman is an early variety. I never 

 saw a yellow potato as good as the white. I am making some ex- 

 periments which I will detail at a future meeting of the clul). 



Horace Greely — Some of the best farmers always plant the out- 

 side of the potato, to avoid rot, as the old tuber, in rotting, diffuses 

 the disease to the new potatoes. This is practiced by Major 

 Dickinson, a thinking farmer, of Steuben county. 



Dr. Wellington — I once tried a similar experiment in planting 

 potatoes, on a somewhat extended scale, which proved that we 

 may save a pretty large share of the tuber for food. I would cut 

 off the seed end, and divide the other end in two parts. 



William Lawton — I have not before thought of it, but now re- 

 collect that in all the hills where potatoes rotted most, I found 

 the old tuber in a very offensive condition. 



Mr. Fuller — It seems that we do not need many sprouts in a 

 hill, and we do not get many, however many eyes we plant. If 

 we plant whole tubers, one vigorous stalk grows, and we get the 

 same result from a single eye. I would nev^er plant cut potatoes 

 without first rolling the seed in lime, or something to dry up the 

 juice. 



Horace Greeley — I still believe that water in the hill is one of 

 the main causes of the rot. If we plant in drained land, or upon 



