Planting 157 



even better work than with the knife held in the hand 

 and can cut nearly or twice as fast with less fatigue, due 

 to the fact that there is no lost motion in reaching some 

 distance for every potato cut. All roll down to within a 

 few inches of the hand. The cost is small, being only 

 that of a little rough lumber, as the knives can be used 

 for other purposes. A knife may be held by fastening to 

 a board and potatoes picked from a crate. Any knife 

 used in cutting seed should be ground thin and kept 

 very sharp. 



Under most conditions a larger yield is secured by 

 planting as fast as the seed is cut. The reduction of yield 

 of seed allowed to dry may be heavy. Lack of labor in 

 planting time often leads farmers to cut seed in periods 

 of bad weather and to save the time of cutting later. To 

 prevent the loss of seed by heating, it should be kept in 

 separated containers, as sacks or crates, with a small 

 amount in each in a cool place. The moisture on cut sur- 

 faces must be dry to prevent heating and rot, but no more 

 drying should be allowed. Such carefully dried cut seed 

 may do better than freshly cut in cold and wet soil. 

 Land plaster (gypsum) may be used to dry cut seed. 

 Sulphur has been advocated for disease-prevention, but 

 its use does not completely prevent anj^ disease and it 

 is very disagreeable to handle. 



The principles of seed cutting are as follows : — 



(1) Seed pieces should be cut blocky in shape to 

 make surfaces as small as possible. Blocky pieces feed 

 better through machine planters and the smaller exposed 

 cut surface reduces loss of moisture and danger of infec- 

 tion by rot germ (see Plate VIII). 



(2) The probability in most cases that the seed and 

 eyes are more vigorous makes it better to cut each tuber 



