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EXPERIMENTS IN PLANTING POTATOES. [Dec. 1894. 



IX.— EXPERIMENTS IN PLANTING POTATOES. 



The Bulletin de la Societe NafAonale cV Agriculture de France 

 contains a paper by M. Girard upon the results of a series of 

 investigations as to the relative effects of planting cut and 

 whole seed potatoes, and the influence of the weight of the seed 

 upon the crop. The experiments were also designed to deter- 

 mine the effect of planting two or three very small entire 

 tubers together. French growers have long been in the habit 

 of utilising in this way tubers of less than average weight, and 

 the practice should, a priori, yield satisfactory results. 



The extraordinary productive power of small tubers, es- 

 pecially of very small tubers, has been demonstrated by M. 

 Girard in numerous previous experiments, and cases are on 

 record in which tubers weighing only a few grains have yielded 

 100 fold or even 190 fold in point of weight. 



The experiments now reported upon by M. Girard extended 

 over a period of five years, from 1889 to 1893 inclusive. 



The object of the experiments was to compare the results 

 obtained by planting entire tubers, a method which M. Girard 

 has constantly recommended for the last 10 years, with 

 those obtained from planting cut tubers and small tubers in 

 groups. To make the comparison of utility an equal weight of 

 seed was planted at each operation, with the exception of the 

 cases where it was desired to compare the results obtained by 

 planting whole tubers of average weight with those obtained 

 from planting these tubers cut into two pieces. 



Special measures were adopted to secure, as far as possible, 

 uniform conditions throughout these investigations, and the ex- 

 perimental plots were so arranged as to reduce to a minimum 

 the possibility of errors arising from differences in the nature 

 and condition of the soil. 



The experimental plot was divided into six parallel sections 

 of equal area, and these were sub-divided lengthwise into six 

 equal and parallel strips. Six methods of planting were tried on 

 the first section, and repeated on each of the remaining sections. 



The experiments of 1890 were vitiated by a mistake, and the 

 results have therefore not been included. In 1891 the experi- 

 ments w^ere conducted with two kinds of potato, viz., liichter's 

 Imperator and Athens. Of each of these varieties 100 tubers 

 were planted in each of the six different methods of planting in 

 six rows. At harvest, the number of tubers that had failed to 

 grow was carefully noted, and the yield of each row was 

 separately weighed. The same experimental method w as applied 

 in 1 892 to two other varieties, Yellow Rose and Idaho. 



