10 
BULLETIN 1248, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
of a 2-ounce tuber. Taft comments that the total yield gradually 
decreases with the size of the set. In the 1892 bulletin Taft (97, p. 
14, 17) presents a two-year ayerage of the yields obtained from 
whole and halved sets of equal weight. These data are of interest in 
that they show a larger average net yield from the half -ounce sets 
than from the larger sizes. The average yield from the three sets of 
seed of compared size shows an average net yield of 80.8 bushels per 
acre from the whole seed as against 79.2 bushels from halved seed. 
The difference between whole and cut seed is in this case (Table 5) 
too small to justify any conclusions regarding the merits of whole or 
cut seed. 
Table 5. — Comparative tests of ivhole and halved potato tubers of given weights, 
2-year average, 1890 and 1891. 
Kind of seed. 
Average yield for 
two years (bushels). 
Market- 
able 
tubers. 
Halves weighing 4 ounces 
Wholes weighing 4 ounces 
Halves weighing 2 ounces 
Wholes weighing 2 ounces 
Halves weighing 1 ounce 
Wholes weighing 1 ounce 
Halves weighing one-half ounce 
107.4 
125. 9 
115.5 
102.3 
111.0 
110.4 
107.2 
Net 
yield. 
52.4 
70.9 
88.0 
74.8 
97.2 
96.6 
100.2 
A careful study by Arthur (11, p. 115) of sets ranging from 1 to 5 
ounces in weight indicated that the 4, 4 J, and 5-ounce sets gave 
larger yields than those of lesser weight. The Burbank and Beauty 
of Hebron varieties were studied. 
Johnson (51) compared whole tubers with halves, quarters, and 
1-eye pieces by planting an equal weight of seed on the same area of 
land. This was done by spacing the wdiole seed 36 inches apart in 
the row, the halved seed at 18 inches, the quartered seed at 9 inches, 
and the 1-eye sets (three of them together) at 9-inch intervals. In 
the case of the Early Rose and the White Star, the 1-eye sets gave 
the heaviest yield, while those of the Beauty of Hebron yielded least. 
Johnson explains the inferior yield from the 1-eye sets as being due 
to inequalities in the field in which the work was conducted. 
Shaw and Zavitz (86) found that medium whole seed gave better 
results than large whole or cut seed. 
In 1892 Speth (90) reported some studies made at the Georgia 
Experiment Station in which he secured the best results from large 
whole tubers from which all but two eyes had been remoA r ed prior to 
planting. • 
Blair (16) obtained slightly better results from halved tubers than 
from whole ones. A careful study of the behavior of slips and of 
1-eye, 2-eye, 1 -ounce, 2-ounee, and -1 -ounce sets by Duggar (28) led 
him bo the conclusion that 2-ounce sets were best, but lie was of the 
opinion that in good soil an increased weight of seed might be ad- 
vantageously used. Du Pre's (30) conclusions after studying the 
behavior of 1-eye and 2-eye sets, whole tubers, seed ends, stem ends, 
and middles were that sets cut to one and two eves were better than 
whole potatoes and that the bud end will produce more than the 
