NORTH HADLEY, MASS. 
7 
lent one, of large, handsome potatoes, having a pink skin, nearly round in form, and the ear. 
liest marketable lot in the plot. The Premium is decidedly an acquisition, and{I advise all my 
customers to test it.’ With the experience of another season I can fully; endorse all I then 
said of it. The eyes are of a richer pink than the skin, making it remarkably handsome and 
attractive ; flesh white. My regret is that I cannot offer this potato to my customers this 
season by the quantity ; but the water stood a while on a part of my land and injured the 
yield. Where it had a good chance it yielded three hundred and twenty-five bushels to the 
acre. It proved to be earlier than the New Queen, raised side by side.” In a circular accom- 
panying his catalogue, he says : “ Howe’s Premium is an earlier potato than Beauty of He- 
bron or Early Rose ; a good cropper with good shape, size and color for market.” 
In 1889 I advertised in about seventy dillerent papers that I would give-away a new variety 
of potato to every fifth applicant for my Manual, who named the publication in which my 
adv. was seen. This offer brought so many applications that it took nearly a barrel of thi 3 
valuable new potato to supply every fifth person with a quantity small enough (less than 2 
oz.) to be mailed for one cent postage. These little samples went every /where in the U. S. 
and Canada. 
Since then I have been receiving constantly testimonials as to the merits of this variety, 
and have now a large package of them, but the few below taken from my last Manual, are 
quite representative of the rest and cover pretty much all that can be said in favor of any 
potato, so I let them suffice : 
Dr. Peter Collier, of the N. Y. Experiment Station, writes of this Variety: “ Tested with 
170 varieties,— it ripened among the first, and resisted the blight, which has been very bad 
through this section. The early and late varieties were planted at the same time, and all left 
to be harvested together, in order to see the rot resisting character of each. While varieties 
on both sides of it had rotted quite badly, it was entirely flee from the disease.” 
John F. Apgar, of Platt Co , Neb., says : “Planted May 1st, which was late: potatoes 
grew fast, but were stunted some by a hail storm; matured with the Early Ohio, which was 
planted a month earlier. From the small tuber sent I dug 7% pounds. Now in regard to this 
potato, I cannot say too much in its favor; is as fine a looking potato as I ever saw, have not 
one fault to find with it, think it deserves a foremost place among the many deserving 
varieties.” 
Joseph Hampton, of Cumberland Co., N. J., says: “ Did not plant\ until the 6th of May, 
yet it ripened as soon as the Early Rose, which was planted on the 5th of April. Yield was 
wonderful ; water covered the ground a good part of the time, hence they got no cultivation. ” 
D. Salisbury, of Juab Co., Utah, writes that: “If I was going to plant one variety of 
potatoes, it would be Howe’s Premium for these reasons: It is as early as any that I have 
tried, it is a nice smooth potato, they grow compact in the hill and are easy to dig. Raised 
15 pounds from the one potato planted; no extra cultivation.” 
A. E. Brandt, of Dauphing Co., Pa., says : “Two months after planting made an exami- 
nation, finding nice, marketable sized tubers— stalk with all its tubers easily lifted up in a 
forkful. What struck me particularly was the uniform size and entire absence of small tu- 
bers ; an extra early potato, nice, smooth and white; cooked dry and floury.” 
R. W. Spalding, Windham Co., Vt., writes : “ Planted May 13th, and the second week in 
August dug 60 good sized potatoes and 8 small ones. As nice looking potatoes as I ever saw, 
not a rotten one among them, while of the other 22 kinds each had a few rotten ones, with 
the same soil and treatment.” 
Mrs. Mary P. Chase, Madison Co., N. Y., writes: “ From three eyes I had twenty-two 
lovely potatoes, all good size, as round as balls. I cooked one, and it was as white and mealy 
and delicious as a potato can ever be.” 
John Jennings, Carleton Co., N. B., Canada, says: “Did wonderfully well, was very 
early, same as Lee’s Favorite, but a heavier cropper. When I tested it in October it was dry, 
white and mealy.” 
PRICES OF HOWE’S PREMIUM.— I am sorry I have not a large stock of this variety, 
so as to sell them low, and also be able to plant several acres of them myself to market early 
in the season and so secure the best high prices which the earliest new potatoes are sure to 
command this coming summer. But I sold my stock very short last year and so had but a 
tew to plant and therefore have only a limited supply to offer this year at the following pri- 
ces : By mail, 1 lb. 50 cents; 2 lbs. 85 cents; 3 lbs. 81.25. By express or freight, 1 lb. 40 cents; 
3 lbs. 85 cents; y peck, $1.00; 1 peck, $1.25; % bushel, $2.25; 1 bushel, $4.25; 1 bbl. $11.00. 
