Improving Potatoes 
BY THOMAS D. BAIRD. 
It is very evident that seed potatoes 
brought from the north and planted here 
will yield at least one-third more to the 
same amount of seed than seed grown here. 
And northern grown seed planted here will 
diminish in size and yield every year until 
they get on a common level with “home 
grown seed.” 
From two experiments I am convinced if 
potato growers would plant with an eye to 
improvement there would be no need of 
getting northern seed so often. It is plain 
to the observing eye, that the seed end of 
the potato has more eyes and closer togeth¬ 
er, than those at the stein end have. This 
fact caused a test to be made. The potato 
was cut near the middle, and each end cut 
to single eyes and planted one e} r e in a place. 
After the plants were up, it was noticed 
that the plants from the seed end were the 
weakest looking plants. And at digging 
time the potatoes from the seed of the seed 
end were quite small, while those from the 
seed of the stem end of the potato were 
nice and large. But, fearing there might 
have been some difference in the soil, the 
next season another experiment was made. 
The seed was cut in the same way as in the 
first trial, and planted in alternate rows 
that there might not be any difference in 
the soil. After the seed was planted, ma¬ 
nure was spread over the seed as equally as 
could be. The rows were labeled that there 
should be no mistake made. After the 
plants were up those from the seed end 
were the weakest. When the potatoes 
were dug the potatoes from the seed end 
would not average more than a third the 
gize of those from the stem end of the po¬ 
tato. From these experiments 1 believe 
potatoes might be improved by planting 
seed of the stem end of the potato. This 
season I shall try the experiment and 
count and weigh the potatoes from each 
seed. 
A fool in a high station is like a man on 
the top of a mountain; everybody appears 
small to him, and he appears small to every¬ 
body. 
Economizing Space in the Garden. 
BY W. D. BOYNTON. 
A piece of ground devoted to vegetable 
gardening is usually brought up to the 
highest possible degree of productiveness 
by cultivation and fertilizing. Such space 
is, of course, much more valuable and 
capable of doing much more for you in 
return than an equal amount of space in 
the average field. Still I have seen many 
farmers sow a patch ol dwarf peas early in 
the spring, on such land, gather them the 
last of June, or the first of July and let this 
spot of garden soil, capable of producing 
three such crops, be idle the remainder of 
the season, or, rather, let it grow up to 
weeds. The same may be said of the 
space occupied by the early radishes, let¬ 
tuce, corn, potatoes and many other veg¬ 
etables. 
In a well managed garden, very little 
space will be left unoccupied for any 
length of time during the growing season. 
As one crop is gathered another will take 
its place, and where insects, poor seeds or 
other mishaps have left a vacancy the 
gardener should fill them at once with 
some crop appropriate for the time and 
place. Where early potatoes have been 
taken off the last of June or the first of 
July, late cabbage for winter use. may be 
set out. When peas have been taken off 
still earlier, say the middle of June, cucum¬ 
bers for pickles may be planted, and even 
beets may be sown, often yielding better 
and keeping longer than those sown earlier 
in the season. Sweet corn for late use 
may be planted between the rows of pota¬ 
toes which are soon to be dug. The prin¬ 
cipal crop of peas will also do better if 
planted from the 10th to the 15th of June, 
as they are less liable to attack from the 
weevil, which, earlier in the season, deposits 
its eggs in the young growing fruit. 
Who would not rather have a garden 
present something of a miscellaneous ap¬ 
pearance instead of having the vacant cor¬ 
ners filled with purslain or pig-weed. Such 
economy of space will also lead the garden¬ 
er into the habit of providing a better sup¬ 
ply of vegetables for the table all through 
