The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
156:; 
Notes on Selecting Seed Potatoes 
I lmve read Mr. Duryeels article on potatoes, and as 
I had already dug and selected my Cobbler seed I wish 
to ask your advice. In selecting seed l saved the tubers 
from those hills showing live or more good-sized ones, 
aud the fewest culls. Where I had five or more large 
and not more than two small ones I saved all the large 
ones. In those hills showing five or more large and 
from five to 10 small ones I only selected two or three 
of the very best ones. These were allowed to dry in 
the sun several hours, and then put in a shed to dry 
further for about a week. I have now ta! on them 
and wrapped each one in paper and put away in a tin 
tube in a dark, fairly cool shed. I made no attempt to 
select these while growing, as I was told the hill method 
would be perfectly satisfactory. I expect soon to dig 
my Green Mountains, and if I have made mistakes in 
selecting the Cobbler seed I wish to avoid them with 
the others. I have made no attempt to select these while 
growing, from the same reason as on the early ones. I 
find as much variance of opinions on this matter of 
seed selection as there is on which is the best hen. or 
rather breed. c. n. s. 
Rhode Island. 
X selecting seed potatoes for developing a liigh- 
producing strain it is necessary that the vigor of 
I lie vines and their freedom from evidence of disease 
be established. There are several diseases which 
cause low vitality in the tuber, but which are not 
evident on the tuber itself. Among these diseases 
arc leaf-roll, mosaic and curly dwarf. In the case 
of leaf-roll the disease can he detected on tin 1 young 
plants by a rolling upward of the margins of the 
lowest leaves, which are somewhat thicker and more 
leathery than the normal leaves. As the plants 
mature the leaves are characterized by being 
smoother than normal, the color is lighter and there 
is a general bushy appearance, as well as the rolling 
upward of the leaves. In the case of mosaic the 
leaves are crinkled and mottled with darker green 
than normally occurs. Curly dwarf is characterized 
by a pronounced dwarf of the plant and foliage. 
These diseases may reduce the yield of potatoes by 
so per cent, although in some cases the reduction is 
not more than 10 per cent. However, if tubers are 
planted which are slightly infected, the ensuing crop 
will be subject to a severe attack, especially under 
favorable weather conditions for the growth of the 
fungus. It is, therefore, necessary to begin tin* 
selection by a careful examination of the plot from 
which the tubers are to be chosen, since the presence 
of some of our worst diseases is not evident on flu 1 
tuber and cannot be destroyed by any known method 
of treatment. 
In selecting the seed 1 would advise C. 1 >. S. to 
have in mind a definite type of potato which he 
desires to propagate. There is considerable varia¬ 
tion in the appearance both of the tuber and of the 
vines in potatoes of the same variety. In selecting 
cither Gobblers or Green Mountains those tubers 
should be chosen which have shallow eyes, are regu¬ 
lar in form and are typical of the varietal type. Low 
spreading, vigorous vines are preferred by most 
growers to the tall, stalky vine, since the former 
shade the ground better, thus conserving the mois¬ 
ture and seem to produce a better yield. 
In selecting the hills which seem most promising 
for the production of seed an inspection of the vines 
should be made that has already been established 
with success by several growers’ assistance in the 
production of certified seed. That is, one inspection 
of the plot at blossoming time, to determine the 
vitality, purity and vigor of the plants and freedom 
from disease, and the second to detect diseases that 
may have appeared since the first inspection. 
Having staked the desirable hills, the tubers when 
mature should be dug by hand and again inspected 
for external appearance of disease. The hills which 
produce the greatest number of marketable potatoes 
of like type should be selected and the culls elim¬ 
inated. These potatoes should then be stored in 
separate containers and used for tuber unit work 
the following season. The same process of selection 
ami inspection should be practiced the first year 
after selecting the right hills, and 10 of the best 
potatoes from the standpoint of type and vigor 
selected for further work the following year, when 
there will be -fit bills to the unit instead of the 
original four. The tuber unit method, as recently 
described in The R. X.-Y., is far superior to the hill 
selection method, and while it is more work, it saves 
time in the long run by eliminating at the start un¬ 
desirable types and disease-infected tubers. 
Handling Brussels Sprouts. Fig. 505. Sec Page 1552 
Paper Jacket for Celery. Fig. 500. See Page 1572 
In C. D. S.’s location it will be necessary. I expect, 
to spray carefully with Bordeaux mixture through 
the growing season to prevent the appearance of 
early and late blight, which would materially impair 
the value of the tubers for seed purposes should it 
gain foothold. w. n. duryee. 
Annual Sweet Clover in Rhode Island 
I T is hard to make a good picture of Sweet clover. 
It grows in such a peculiar way that the plants 
must be seen to be well understood. Fig. 502 gives 
a faint idea of the way the annual Sweet clover 
grew in Rhode Island. Tt grew more than eight 
feet high from seeding in May. As we see, the 
upper part of the plant shoots up into the air, 
while the lower part branches out thickly. As 
compared with ordinary manure Sweet clover con¬ 
tains only a little less nitrogen to the ton and a 
Lftle more potash. Anyone can figure what this 
means in a crop standing eight feet high if it can 
be plowed into the ground. It is now becoming so 
hard for gardeners to obtain manure that a crop lik<» 
the annual Sweet clover growing in one short seas -i 
will prove a great help. 
The Old Story of the Peach Borer 
I have here several very choice peach and flowering 
cherry trees. Last Spring I lost one of these through 
maggots or borers getting around the base of the trees 
I presume the sweet jelly-like substance that sometimes 
oozes from these trees attracts these insects, therefore 
killing the trees. e. e. xr 
Wilkesbarre, I’a. 
\ FRY Fall we find it necessary to tell the old 
story of the peach borer. The gum at the base 
of the tree does not attract the insect; it is a result 
of the wound made by the borer, and is evidence 
that he is at work. The eggs from which this borer 
hatches are laid by a moth in July or August. The 
moth deposits her eggs in little cracks or rough 
places on the lower trunk. The borers hatch, and 
as soon as they are large enough begin eating their 
way just inside the bark toward the root of the tree. 
As the borer grows larger it works faster. The gum 
which you notice oozes from the wound, and you 
will find sawdust or small chips mixed through it. 
The borer keeps on working until Winter, or later. 
Finally it goes through the natural changes and 
produces another moth. A single borer may not do 
great injury to a tree, but when there are many at 
work the tree is weakened and often killed. We 
have dug 25 borers from one tree. 
There are two general methods for fighting this 
insect. One is to prevent the moth from laying her 
egg. This is done by covering the lower part of the 
trunk with a protector of paper or thin board, or 
smearing some substance on the trunk. A thick 
solution of lime-sulphur is often used. Various kinds 
of “wax” are sold for this purpose. We have never 
found anything that would entirely prevent this 
egg-laying It is possible to keep some of the borers 
out in this way. but there will always be a few to 
work- in. The only sure remedy we have found is 
to dig them out by hand. The gum with the saw¬ 
dust in it shows that the borer is working. Scrape 
the gum away and find the hole. With the small 
blade of a sharp knife slit the bark down (not 
across) and find the borer at the bottom of the hole. 
Kill him. A small crooked wire may be worked 
down to dig him out. It is possible to kill the borers 
by scraping off the gum, scraping a little hollow 
around the tree and pouring boiling water into it. 
This does well with a few trees, but in a large 
orchard the difficulty is to keep the water hot. 
