102 
THE GUIDE TO NATURE 
MR. LAMSON POINTS WITH JUSTIFIABLE PRIDE TO THE POTATO PRODUCT. 
my experience this summer in the 
pruning of potato vines, on the theory 
that it was improbable that I could get 
both an enormous growth of vines and 
at the same time a satisfactory growth 
of tubers. 
As a matter of fact, I was more in- 
terested in the experiment than in the 
potatoes, for while I have a large gar- 
den. it is an amusement park to me 
and not a commercial undertaking. I 
try every year various experiments 
with the things growing in my garden 
and yard. It has seemed to me that 
there must be in the program of nature 
a true proportion between root and vine 
and fruit ; and it has been on this theory 
that I have conducted several experi- 
ments. It Avas on this theory that I 
Avas tempted to use my hedge pruning 
shears on my potato vines. 
To get a true proportion the ques- 
tions of food, Avater and temperature 
must all be considered ; and while the 
Good Master causes the rain to fall on 
the just and the unjust alike, I find no 
record where He proposes to distribute 
that rain to meet the requirements of 
the maximum growth of A r egetation. A 
little study of the rainfall of any section 
of this country is proof of this state- 
ment. The rainfall, for instance, in 
the locality of Rochester, NeAA^ York, 
during the year 1908, AA^as four inches 
for the one hundred growing days be- 
ginning May 1, and in the year 1904 
the rainfall there for the same period 
AA’as eighteen and a fraction inches. 
The rainfall in this section of the coun- 
try this year, Avhile I haA^e not the fig- 
ures, Avas certainly abnormally high, 
and beyond the requirements for maxi- 
mum growth of A r egetation. 
Therefore, to offset this, I conceded 
the idea of keeping my potato A’ines 
or tops doAAm to what I considered nor- 
mal ; AA'here they were about three feet 
high I pruned to about eighteen inches, 
keeping tAvo toavs in my garden about 
that height until the potatoes matured ; 
and at harvest time I was gratified to 
find that the rate of production on the 
tAvo pruned rows Avas more than double 
that of the roAvs that were not pruned, 
and the potatoes much larger and more 
uniform. Since all other conditions 
AA r ere equal, I can draAv no other con- 
clusion than that the pruning Avas di- 
rectly responsible for the increased 
yield. 
I assume that the same result might 
haA r e been accomplished had I been able 
by underground drainage to ha\ r e 
taken away the surplus moisture, which 
would have preAmnted the tops from 
growing out of proportion to the root 
and fruit. 
You further asked me to make some 
statement with reference to the peach 
trees which a t ou saA\ r on my lot. Those 
