8 
Sept a 
592 
POTATO-LEAF TOMATOES. 
Before the Turner’s Hybrid or Mikado 
were known to the public, except by adver¬ 
tisements, the R. N.-Y. discovered they were 
the same. Thus it wrote to Peter Henderson 
& Co. who sold it as the Mikado ; thus we 
wrote to W. Atlee Burpee & Co., who sold it 
as the Turner’s Hybrid. These two firms pro¬ 
cured the seed of different persons and widely 
separated places. The tomato is sold under 
both names to-day. As we stated after rais¬ 
ing the first crop we may now repeat. This 
tomato is in no way better than the old Trophy. 
Its distinctive leaves add nothing to its value. 
The next season or so Mr. A. W. Livingston 
sent us several plants, asking us if we were 
familiar with the variety. The leaves were 
precisely those of the Mikado or Turner, and 
so we replied. But the fruit is smoother and 
not so large. Very likely an improved tomato 
may be bred from the so-called Potato-leaf 
(Lima-bean leaf would be better) varieties. 
At present there are a dozen better kinds. 
SELECTING AND PRESERVING SEED 
CORN. 
PROF. G. E. MORROW. 
In selecting a few bushels of seed corn with 
special reference to improvement of the crop, 
as well as to having seed with strong vitality, 
I should prefer selecting in the field before 
the crop is fully matured, because this will 
enable one to judge of the stalk as well as the 
ear, and of the early maturing of both ear and 
stalk compared with their surroundings. 
In preserving this corn I should select the 
most convenient method which would allow 
the ears to become quite thoroughly dried be¬ 
fore severe cold weather, and then keep them 
dry—perfectly free from marked variations 
in temperature. Artificial heat in moderate 
degrees is helpful, but not often essential in 
this latitude with'fairly early maturing varie¬ 
ties. 
I do not attach importance to any one 
method. The old plan of “brading up” the 
ears by their husks by pains and hanging over 
wires, ropes or poles in a warm, dry place, is, 
perhaps, as effective as any. A patented 
corkscrew-like wire to put in each ear is ex¬ 
cellent. Cutting off the tips of the ears, 
making a hole through them lengthwise, then 
stringiug a dozen or 20 on a wire probably 
gives help in the thorough drying of very 
large ears. In all ordinary cases no trouble 
will come if the ears are spread thinly on the 
floor or in crates, if kept in a w'arm, dry 
place. 
I do not think it has been proven that any 
degree of cold we have ever had here will 
perceptibly injure the corn which has been 
well dried before being exposed to the cold. 
Rapid drying in a high temperature I think 
objectionable. 
University of Illinois. 
— ■■■■■■ ♦ ♦ ♦ — — 
ABOUT SEED POTATOES. 
AN IMPORTANT SYMPOSIUM. 
Advantages and disadvantages of buying 
seed potatoes in the fall and spring ; when 
each time is best; seed from the north pref¬ 
erable for the benefits of change ; how to 
pack potatoes for shipment; best treatment 
on arrival at destination; how and when to 
plant; sprouting for early market potatoes 
only; keeping new varieties ; preservation 
by cold-storage. 
FROM T. B. TERRY. 
The farmer had better buy seed potatoes in 
the fall, provided he can keep them until 
planting time without sprouting. He can 
usually get them cheaper then, and he is sure 
of them, and doesn’t have to worry about 
them all winter. Then he will be more apt to 
have the cash. If he waits until spring he 
may be short, and the seed he has may have 
to be planted again, and thus he may lose the 
benefits that came from changing. If he can¬ 
not keep them sound and good he should leave 
them in the grower’s hands until spring, and 
then buy—when nearly ready to plant—only 
those that actually have not sprouted at all. 
As I am away from home all winter attending 
farmers’ institutes, I find it best to buy in the 
spring (engaging them beforehand) from a 
grower in the far North. When at home, by 
giving close attention, I could nearly always 
keep even early potatoes from sprouting until 
planting time. 
Last spring I bought all seed,—as did some 
THE 
— 
of my neighbors—of Mr. Geo. W. P. Jerrard, 
who advertises in the Rural and lives way 
up in the Northern part of Maine. We had 
them come just before we wanted to plant, 
and they got here without a sprout having 
been started. In my estimation the cost of 
bringing them so far was a small matter by 
the side of the gain from having entirely sound 
seed so that the first sprout could grow, and 
from the change of seed. My next neighbor 
planted a few rows of his own seed (Beauty of 
Hebron) by the side of the Maine seed, and it 
would be a dark night when one could not 
see the difference in growth when liding by. 
I should not be surprised if the difference in 
yield reached 75 bushels, per acre. 
Last year I planted half a field with home 
seed rather poorly kept, and half with prime 
imported seed, in the spring, and the differ¬ 
ence in yield was $33 an acre. The one- 
eye pieces of seed from the sound potatoes set 
only four or five tubers, and nearly all grew 
large enough to sell, while the seed that had 
been sprouted set many tubers from the 
second sprouts, but only a small part of them 
grew large. And then the growth of the 
tops indicating the origin of the plants was 
only about one half as great as that shown by 
the unsprouted seed brought from a distance. 
When I get a cold-storage house, when it is 
best to change seed, I shall buy in the fall. I 
have some potatoes now that were grown in 
1886, and which have been kept in cold-storage 
nearly two years. Not an eye had started a 
sprout when they were taken out a few weeks 
ago. 
Potatoes for seed should always be packed 
in barrels if going any considerable distance. 
Fill the barrel full, shake down well, and then 
round it up with potatoes again, and press the 
head down into place with lever or screw. In 
this way the potatoes can be fixed so that they 
will not move about any in the barrel, even if 
going a thousand miles. If in the spring I 
would have the barrel tight for the potatoes 
will not sprout so quickly. When I get mine 
I roll the barrels into the cellar—which is 
kept as cool as possible—and only open them 
as fast as their contents are needed to plant. 
Last spring I bought a barrel of New Queen 
potatoes. A neighbor wanted to look at them, 
so I opened the barrels some days before we 
were ready to plant the tubers. They had 
not started a sprout then. When I planted 
them they were sprouted much more 
than the tubers in barrels just opened. 
Spreading and handling them over in the 
light until the eyes start, so as to be sure that 
they will all grow, does not work well for 
machine planting. I have tried it. Good, 
sound seed of Beauty of'Hebron, or of any 
other kind I ever raised, never fails to grow 
if cut to one-eye pieces and planted before a 
sprout starts. I plant promptly after cutting, 
however. 
Mr. Jerrard’s catalogue has a view of one 
of his potato fields in blossom. That would, 
SILAGE. Fig. 311. 
no doubt, be thought by many to be a fancy 
picture; bqt looking from my window as I 
write, one can see a picture fully equal to it. 
The ground is covered with a rank growth as 
even and perfect as could be asked for. The 
potatoes are not nearly full-grown, but I dug 
a bushel and a half to the square rod this 
morning (July 26) from clover sod and 15 loads 
of good manure to the acre. The crop came 
from such seed and treatment as I have des¬ 
cribed. 
Summit Co., Ohio. 
FROM FRED GRUNDY. 
If I had a good frost-proof and dry cellar 
or cave I should buy my seed potatoes in the 
fall, because I could then obtain them for one- 
half to two-thirds of what they would cost in 
the spring. If, however, I had no such con- 
i veniences and would be compelled to hill them 
I outside, I would buy them in the spring. In 
buying in the spring all risk of loss by rot, 
frost and veimin isavoided, and even at the 
enhanced price they would really be cheaper to 
the man whohad not first-class conveniences for 
keeping them. Keeping potatoes through the 
w inter in a hill may do well enough in a nat¬ 
urally dry or sandy soil, but it is a risky 
practice with us. 
I would prefer to have seed potatoes shipped 
in paper-lined barrels or boxes and packed in 
as tightly as possible. It they are perfectly 
dry when packed, and are packed solid, they 
will go a loDg distanc e in perfect order. Seed 
potatoes received in the fall I would im¬ 
mediately unpack and place in thin layers on 
dry shelves in the coolest part of the cellar, 
and I w r ould try to keep them cool—not near 
freezing—and dry until planting time. I 
would not have seed potatoes shipped in the 
spring until near the planting season. When 
they arrived I would unpack at once, and 
plant as soon as possible, cutting them just be¬ 
fore planting. 
When a few specimens of a new variety, for 
trial, are sent me in the fall, I wrap each sep¬ 
arately in paper and keep in a dry, cool place 
until spring. Only the early varieties succeed 
in this .section, and we sometimes experience 
considerable difficulty in keeping seed until 
winter. If we can get it safely into winter, it 
will keep well enough until spring. 
Christian Co., 111. 
FROM ALFRED ROSE. 
In my opinion the best time for the farmer to 
buy his seed potatoes is in the spring, unless 
they are for the South, to be planted in Janu¬ 
ary. There is a risk in keeping potatoes 
through the winter; generally 20 pel cent, be- 
come rotton or are otherwise injured. For ship¬ 
ping they should always be snugly packed in 
full barrels. If the farmer receives them 
much before the time when he is ready to 
plant, he should turn them out of the barrels 
and stir them over often, to keep ihem from 
sprouting, or he can cut them up, and this will 
keep them from sprouting some time. 
Yates.Co., N. Y. 
FROM E. E. STINE. 
If it were possible, '.the best time for the 
farmer to buy his seed potatoes is in the fall; 
but seedsmen never issue their catalogues un¬ 
til about the first of January, and experi¬ 
menters, agricultural colleges and experiment 
stations never publish the results of their tests 
until quite late in the fall; so that the farmer 
seldom knows where or what varieties to buy 
until he has examined these reports. Then, 
in many cases, the season has so far advanced 
that it is too cold to ship potatoes long dis¬ 
tances except by express, and that mode 
would be too expensive. Yet there are farm¬ 
ers so situated that they could and should buy 
all their seed potatoes of the standard varie¬ 
ties in the fall. They could buy them for less 
money, which would add somewhat to the 
profit side of the crop. They would also have 
them for planting in the spring. If the 
planter depends on Northern grown potatoes 
for his seed, he could (if he had them) plant 
his entire crop before it would be safe for the 
seedsman to ship. For this reason more than 
any other, I would advise buying seed pota¬ 
toes in the fall. 
They should invariably be shipped in good, 
strong bairels or boxes, and care should be 
taken to have them packed tightly to prevent 
their being biuised or having the skin nibbed 
off, which would partially destroy their vital¬ 
ity and give them a bad appearance. As soon 
as the farmer receives the potatoes, he should 
take them out of the barrels and spread them 
evenly on the cellar floor to dry. After 
they are nice and dry, they may be 
put into bins or can be put back into the bar¬ 
rels and left there undisturbed until they are 
wanted for planting. They should be kept 
in a dry, cool cellar. I do not believe it is best 
to keep them at so low a temperature that 
they barely escape freezing. It - they aie kept 
all winter in a temperature eight to ten de¬ 
grees above the freezing point they will turn 
out better than if kept in only about one or 
two degrees above. 
Summit Co., Ohio. 
FROM J. A. THOMAS & SON 
We find it the best and safest to buy seed iu 
the fall at digging time, as there is no danger 
of their rotting then, and we find the seed 
keeps better and firmer in pits or trenches. 
The tubers or pieces put out stionger sprouts 
in the spring while sometimes they wilt and 
get spongy in the cellar before planting time 
in the spring. 
Shawnee Co., Kansas. 
FROM T. H. HOSKINS, M. D. 
As a general rule, it is best to buy seed po¬ 
tatoes m the spring, as then all risk of loss 
during the winter by decay, veimin or fiost 
is escaped. They are best shipped iu barrels, 
as they are thus less liable to loss from injury 
by chilling or the attacks of rats and mice in 
A HANDFUL OF 
