BOOKS AND 



Harvest is practically as early as Premium, and is much 

 more productive. Following these extra early kinds 

 within a few days are a large number of varieties that 

 are considerably larger yielders, and should be relied on 

 for the main early crop ; among them are Lee's Favor- 

 ite, Aug. 3, 376J'2 bushels ; Timpe's No. 4, Aug. 3, 400 

 bushels ; Timpe's No. 6, Aug. 3, 345 !^ bushels ; Polaris, 

 345 bushels. Of other varieties that ripen about the 

 same time as the above kinds, with a yield of about 300 

 bushels per acre, are Clark's No. i, Gregory No. i, Early 

 Oxford, New Queen, Morning Star, June Eating, Mrs. 

 Cleveland, Faust's i88g, Putnam's Early, Putnam's New 

 Rose, Randall's Beauty, Fort Collins No. 83, and West's 

 No. I. 



"Timpe's No. 4, Lee's Favorite, Timpe's No. 6 and 

 Polaris are most productive. Thorburn ripened a week 

 later and gave a yield equally as large. 



"Of the later sorts, Summit was far ahead of any 

 other in yield per acre, the total being 548 bushels. 

 Watson's Seedling gave 395 bushels, Sutton 375 bushels, 

 O. K. Mammoth 380 bushels, Putnam's Select 370 bush- 

 els. Rural Blush 370 bushels, Bannock 407 bushels. Cop- 

 per Mine 382 bushels. Dictator 415 bushels, Alaska 375 

 bushels, and President Lincoln 499 bushels." 



The century-worn discussion of methods of cutting 



potatoes has demanded much thought at 

 How to Cut the Michigan station during the past year. 

 Potatoes. The "seed end" is again found to be as 



valuable for planting as other portions of 

 the tuber, and single eyes again give poorer results than 

 half tubers. Half tubers appeared to be better than 

 whole ones of the same weight as the half. 



Tests of difierent depths of planting and of different 

 ways of applying fertilizers gave the following results : 



I. Slightly better results were obtained 

 Culture of from fertilizers placed over the seed rather 

 Potatoes. than under it. 2. When fertilizers were 



used, the best results were obtained from 

 level culture. 3. Wood ashes at the rate of 125 bushels 

 per acre ga\e a larger yield than 1250 pounds of pre- 

 pared fertilizer, consisting of dissolved bone, sulphate 

 of potash and sulphate of ammonia. 4. The use of 

 stable manure gave better results than either ashes or 

 fertilizers. 5. Manure placed between the rows as a 

 mulch gave better results than when used either over or 

 under the seed. " The last part of the season was quite 

 dry, and the result might have been different in a wet 

 season. It should also be noted that for four weeks after 

 planting the season was cold and wet, and the great 

 number of missed hills, particularly noticeable in the 

 plot where manure was placed in the bottom of the 

 trench under the seed, may have been owing to the fact 

 that the manure acted as a sponge, and holding water, 

 caused the seed potato to decay." 



"With an open, well-drained soil, we have obtained 

 best results by planting in trenches five inches deep and 

 covering two inches. The trenches can be gradually 

 filled when cultivating, after the plants are up, or better 

 yet by dragging the field across the rows with a smooth- 



BLLLETINS. 443 



ing harrow as soon as the sprouts appear. This will 

 level the land and destroy all weeds. A second harrow- 

 ing and frequent working with a Planet Jr. or other cul- 

 tivator, with level culture, will give satisfactory results." 



Professor Taft treated potatoes with hyposulphite of 

 soda, sulphate of iron, sulphur, sulphate of potash and 

 ground bone, in the hope of ascertaining 

 if any of these materials lessen the pro- Potato Scab, 

 duction of scab in potatoes. There was 

 a marked increase of scab where hyposulphite of soda 

 was used, but in the other instances the results were 

 indifferent. 



"For early tomatoes we need not look beyond the 

 Earliest (Vaughan) and King of the Earlies (Ely). Pre- 

 lude is too small. Following these are 

 Advance and Hathaway's Excelsior. Of Varieties of 

 large, smooth, red kinds there is little Tomatoes in 

 choice between Perfection, Paragon, Michigan. 

 Volunteer, Bay State, Haines' No. 64, 

 Nichol's Stone, Matchless, and a number of others. Igno- 

 tum is with us still the most solid and largest smooth 

 tomato. Out of five hundred plants only one sported. 

 Red Mikado is a red and regular form of Mikado. Of 

 pink or purple varieties. Acme, Beauty and Mikado are 

 good. Shah is a yellow variety of Mikado parentage." 



" From the trials of the past two years, it would seem 

 there is little to be gained by select- 

 ing seeds from the first fruits to Seeds from 

 ripen. It is true that during both First-ripe Fruits; 

 years there is on the average a slight Early Sowing, 

 apparent gain from such selection of 



angular sorts, but eight of the eighteen varieties show a 

 loss from such selection, and we can only regard as 

 accidental the fact that in the angular sorts the average 

 shows a gain and in the smooth sorts a loss, where such 

 selection is made." 



It was found that it pays to start tomatoes under glass. 



"For training the tomatoes used in our experiment 

 work, a trellis of wire was devised. It consisted of four 

 lines of No. 12 galvanized wire, fastened two 

 on each side of the supports. These were Tomato 

 made of six-inch fence boards, driven into the Trellis, 

 ground so that the upper end was thirty inches 

 high. The wires were fastened on with wire nails, one 

 line being fifteen inches from the ground and the other 

 one foot above this. This gave a space of six inches in 

 which to train the vines, and by tying them occasionally 

 to the wires they were easily kept in place. The vines 

 were thus kept oft the ground, and the fruits were ex- 

 posed to the influence of the sun and air, and picking 

 was facilitated. The trellis was quickly and cheaply 

 made, and the materials can be used for many years." 



"As obtained from the various seedsmen, there was 

 quite a variation even in the standard kinds, 

 both in root and tops. The Eclipse gave Beets, in 

 beets of table size several days before any Michigan, 

 of the other kinds. The type of the Egypt- 

 ian is being gradually changed from its original flat form 

 to one nearly spherical. Fifty Day was as early as 



