Conventional planting. Seed pieces dropped Another method: using a pointed stick to Use of fertilizer for potatoes rather than Covering and firming with the feet is practi- 

 15 inches apart in a furrow make a hole for the seed manure which induces scab cal in the garden 



Are We "All at Sea" In Potato Culture? 



W. C. McCOLLOM 



WASTEFUL CONVENTIONAL WAYS OF SEEDING COMPARED WITH MORE INTENSIVE METHODS— EATING THE 



POTATO AND PLANTING IT, TOO 



WHY waste all the food value of 

 the potato when planting "seed." 

 Isn't it foolish to say the least? 

 Even at the unheard of prices that 

 prevailed during the potato shortage last year, 

 there was nothing that could be substituted for 

 them. It was a common sight to see folks 

 of very meagre means carrying home a small 

 bag of potatoes, having cost them more 

 than their bread for the same meal, which 

 makes it all the more convincing that potatoes 

 to-day as a food crop, are as important to the 

 home as wheat or even meat. We must 

 have them in increasing 

 quantities. 



I have seen it stated in 

 bulletins even, I have read 

 it in the morning papers, 

 and heard it from the lips 

 of those who should know, 

 that potatoes wouldn't re- 

 produce from skins planted 

 with the eye intact, the 

 claim being made that the 

 plants would make vine 

 but wouldn't produce tu- 

 bers. Some even went so 

 far as to state they could 

 tell the difference between 

 the appearances of plant- 

 ings made with skins or 

 anything, in fact, excepting 

 the customary cut pieces 

 weighing about i§ to 2 ozs. 



p*OOLS walk in where 



angels fear to tread." 



I started to experiment; I 



took a plot which was ap- 



proximately 15 x 30 ft. which gave me 6 rows, 

 almost 3 ft. apart and 24 hills to the row, I 

 replaced any blanks, which were few, in the 

 planting of 144 hills. The plot ran east and 

 west, and we will number the rows, beginning 

 at the north, calling them from 1 to 6. The 

 seed used was ordinary seed which was pur- 

 chased at the village store and, not having 

 any formaline or other germicide, I planted 

 the seeds without dipping, although this is any- 

 thing but a good practice. The ground was 

 rather poor, but of good texture and as it had 

 been supporting a growth of wild blackberries 



For the purpose of getting exact records each hill and row was carefully weighed and the figures recorded. 



No guess work 



80 



and cherries for a number of years, this was 

 cleaned off thoroughly and the ground spaded, 

 removing all roots; the furrows were made 

 with a draw hoe and the same quantity of 

 fertilizer was used in each row, exactly a pail 

 full to the planting of 180 feet of row. 



"DOW No. 1 was planted with eyes, that 

 AV is, small pieces of the potato gouged 

 out with a knife not larger than a quarter, 

 of course, each one containing an eye. They 

 were planted exactly the same as cut pieces 

 are usually planted. The 24 eyes necessary 

 for the planting were all 

 taken from a half dozen 

 potatoes and didn't reduce 

 the culinary value of the po- 

 tato to any great extent, as 

 the balance of the potatoes 

 used for seed, left us a lib- 

 eral portion for our din- 

 ner. In this row not a 

 single eye failed. This 

 might be accounted for 

 somewhat by the selection 

 of strong eyes which this 

 system of cutting makes 

 possible, whereas, with cut 

 pieces, many blind eyes are 

 included in the seeds. 



DOWS number 2, 3, 4, 

 and 5 were planted 

 with cut pieces weighing 

 about \\ to 2 ounces 

 each, just the same meth- 

 od as my father, your 

 father, and their fathers 

 had used. 



