Potatoes and Sugar Beets. 
BY JAMES CASSIDY, B. 8., 
Horticulturist and Botanist , 
AND 
DR. D. O’BRINE, D. Sc., 
Chemist. 
POTATOES. 
The potatoes in this experiment were planted May 11, 
on a clay loam soil, that had been in clover sod for two 
years previous, and was plowed in the fall of 1887, and 
again in the spring of 1888. The area in crop was half 
an acre, in two plats of one-fourth of an acre each. The 
tubers of the named kinds were cut to one-eye sets of 
fair substance; but with seedlings, whole tubers of 
medium size were used. The planting was in rows three 
feet apart, with the pieces or tubers one foot apart in the 
rows. The plants from whole tubers appeared above 
ground five days earlier than those from the one-eye 
pieces, and, in agreement with previous experience, gave 
the largest yield and the most vigorous development of 
tops. The yield was very light and the tubers small for 
this region, owing to the extreme high temperature 
which prevailed in July and August, and the lack of the 
usual midsummer rains. The seedling varieties are the 
best of over 2,000 kinds raised here during the past three 
years from seed, very largely of our own saving, some 
varieties of which in other hands and in peculiarly favor¬ 
able soils yielded better crops and larger individual 
tubers the past season, than standard varieties grown in 
this region under the same conditions. Most of the 
named kinds were untried here, hence the past season 
cannot be called a good or sufficient test of their real 
value under our conditions. Although so many kinds 
were a failure, and none were up to our expectation, yet, 
