46 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



the yield is very large ; I have frequently grown 300 bushels of 

 this variety to the acre. 



The Buckeye has been cultivated quite largely in some parts of 

 New Jersey, and it is spoken of highly by those who have grown 

 it. There is a serious objection to this kind ; when the potato is 

 grown to a large size it becomes hollow in the center ; this causes 

 it when cooked and cut open to have an unsightly appearance. 



PREPARATION OF THE SOIL." 



The potato appears to do well on nearly all soils, if properly 

 prepared and manured. In the southern counties of New Jersey, ^ 

 on their sandy soils, they grow fine potatoes, using no other fertil- 

 izer but green sand marl, which is found in great abundance in 

 that district. The potato also yields abundantly on the clay soils 

 when deeply cultivated and freely fertilized. For the latter class 

 of soils fall plowing is very essential, as the alternate freezing and 

 thawing during winter leaves it in fine tilth for spring. When the 

 land is sufficiently dry in April to work, plow and fallow in the 

 same furrow with a lifting subsoil plow, and continue to do so 

 until the field is done. Sandy soils may only receive the latter 

 treatment as fall plowing will not materially benefit them. 



"When the ground is plowed, harrowed, cultivated or otherwise 

 disturbed, mark out furrows three feet apart with a double mold- 

 board plow, about six or eight inches deep. When it is not con- 

 venient to subsoil after the surface, then run a one-horse subsoil in 

 the bottom of the furrow when opened. 



The manure is then spread, and in the drills the potatoes 

 dropped from eight to ten inches apart in the rows and covered 

 with about three inches of soil. When the plants are four inches 

 high a few inches more of covering may be added. 



SELECTING SEED. 



The usual mode among farmers is to cut their seed potatoes in 

 pieces, leaving one, two or three eyes to each piece, and cutting a 

 few weeks before the time of using them, so that an artificial skin 

 may be formed by the drying of the exuding starch, before being 

 placed in the ground. Others plant small potatoes, selling or 

 otherwise disposing of the large ones. They claim that as large 

 a crop is produced from cut or small potatoes as when large seed 

 is used. It is evident that if the small potatoes are constantly 

 used for seed, the quality and quantity must lessen each year. 



My own experience has been in favor of a directly opposite 

 method ; the largest crop of potatoes I produced was from plant- 

 ing whole seed, not less in size than a hen's egg, planted in ground 



